FDR the needed dictator

Despite much of the belief that the US has no ability to become a dictatorship, or that such a system would ot be welcome I point to my recent research into the subject. Turns out everyone from Hearst, to Will Rogers, to F. Scott Fitzgerald at one time or another from 1929-1933 spoke in favor of someone controling the US during its troublesome times.

This was the era when the term dictator was not an evil in and of itself. In a few years it would be connected with evil, yet concentration camps were sopmetimes the name given to the conservation corps, and stormtrooper was the name given to members of the early new deal. Communism was coveted by the intellectuals, as well as more rank and file workers. Sure the US wanted to pick the parts that worked, and they recognized the issues with the systems but given the fear of waht the great depression would force upon America next I got the impression that people were willing to accept drastic changes.

During FDR's speech after being sworn in he got the most applause after saying he "would ask congress to be granted the power to deal with the emergency, as great a power as if we were being invaded by a foriegn foe." Armed guards were about the white house and Washington DC that day for fear of radical moves. The New York Herald The New York Daily News, to Walter Lickmen. Alfred E. Smith said, "Woodrow Wilson wrapped the constitution in paper and set it on the shelf." and believed the depression was worse then any war.

The vague idea was not a police state, but a leader free to move without the restraints of Democracy. Hearst made a film called "Gabriel over the White House," in which a president takes over America for the better. FDR saw the film, and offered ideas for script writers which Hearst included in the film.

WI FDR decided to ask for the authority to do what he needed to fix the economy? A American dictator to combat the great depression.
 
WI FDR decided to ask for the authority to do what he needed to fix the economy? A American dictator to combat the great depression.

The Congress would have given it to him and if you look at the hodge-podge of bad ideas the New Deal tried out you can see that he was trying a lot of things to see what would work.
 
He gets impeached thirty minutes later?

Look at the outcry over his court-packing plan.

Correct the nation was upset in 1937. This is about the US in 1932, when the unemployment was nearing 25%, democracy all over the world was being shown to fail, and major fears of revolution or violent outcry was felt from the lower to the upper class. History shows us such fears are not well founded, but newspapers of the time, and radio broadcasters speak of such an atmosphere.

In 1937 however, unemployment was nearing 14-17%, various programs had been running, shown to be "unconstitutional," and more over the court packing plan divided the democratic party, made FDR lose what gains his 1936 election gave him, and feed those post 1932 who was against his increasing presidental powers.

Mind you all of this occurs after 1932, after FDR started his programs, and after people started to see major hits to the economy. I can find more evidence of the wealthy, and landed political or business leaders taking issue with the court packing plan then the lower class people with jobs, and just reelected the man.

The Congress would have given it to him and if you look at the hodge-podge of bad ideas the New Deal tried out you can see that he was trying a lot of things to see what would work.

Correct. FDR prided himself on trying things "to find out what would not work." Some close to FDR felt he aquired this trait to look more presidental, but I always saw it as his ability to be flexible. FDr seems like the fellow who never would admit he was wrong, but it was one of those acceptable things as he would correct what obviously was not working.
 
While Americans feared a revolution, nobody seems to have voted for one.

Right. Would you not agree that in such an atomosphere, where Communism was held up as the reason fro planned economy, in which Mussolini was known throughout the world as a strong democratic leader, and where many Americans desired drastic methods to fix the economy, that if FDR a popular president - with a slight reformist back ground, and won on the idea of bringing about the change Hoover would not- asked for the authority to fix the nation someone would not let him?
 
No, I wouldn't, because Fascist and Communist Parties did terribly in America.

Right but this is not about a person running on the communist, or fascist ticket, but instead a sitting President in a time of great turmoil asking for the authority to fix the economy in anyway he sees fit.

The US communist party never got off the ground in any real political sense, yet they never had any serious finicial backing, or work with in the political machines of the day. FDR did. The closest thing to a fascist party could be considered the German-American Bund but that began in 1934, once more after 1932. The year 1932 was when the Great Depression bottomed out, back then no one knew that. People thought it was only going to get worse.

So I have this issue that what happened after 1932, or what happened to smaller less influential political parties is proof as to way the US will always be a democracy. Honestly FDR was encouraged on many sides to take the easy route, but he chose not to. Either it was because he believed in democracy or cause he was fearful of how it would make him be viewed either way the possiblity of an American Dictator seems to have had a very good chance.
 
True, and the National Recovery Administration, with their Blue Eagle, was the closest thing to the Brown Shirts.

Too true. The FDR administration had many aspects of it that mirrored Communist, or Fascist economic recovery plans. Yet for all the talk of the court packing plan, one must recognize that FDR tried to create the legal frame work to let him do as he wished, instead of merely doing as he wished.
 
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