Father Coughlin's Activism and Political Views
During the Great Depression, Father Coughlin watched the United States plunge into further turmoil. In order to help the country in this horrific period in history, Coughlin lent his support to President Roosevelt, hoping that he would be the agent of change. After "The New Deal" was proposed, Coughlin, along with many other prominent figures in the country, began to oppose the plans and insisted that the government was ruling with greed.
As the country began to lean toward Big Business and advanced technology, Father Coughlin and Huey Long became two of America’s most outspoken voices against the new policies. Coughlin became a staunch activist, attempting to stand in the way of conglomerates and their owners, such as Carnegie, Pullman and Rockefeller. As Coughlin took to the airways with his radio show and regularly gave speeches on the subject, America started to listen, and it seemed as if the general public was on board.
Ignoring Coughlin and Long’s disapproval, government pushed forward with their Big Business plans. Huey Long, also known as the "Kingfish," had a large supporting base. As time moved forward, it would become evident that wealthy citizens and those not crippled by the depression were far more affluent and instrumental than the poor and downtrodden. Coughlin and Long were preaching to the converted, thus ultimately leaving their mission for naught.
Controversy
After Huey Long’s assassination in 1935, Coughlin joined forces with Francis Townsend, Gerald L. K. Smith and other followers of Long. He urged them to join the National Union of Social Justice, a group he had formed some years earlier, and which elected William Lepke to run against Roosevelt in the Presidential election. After Lepke’s defeat, Coughlin joined the Christian Front and intensified his focus on Big Business and bigger government.
Coughlin stood strong against capitalism and its foundations, warning against the dangers of communism regularly. His political views were solely "for the good of the people," as he saw it, and was against all things "government." He also became a sympathetic shoulder for a fascist Nazi regime in his later broadcast years.
A man of faith and fortitude, Coughlin never wavered in all his years. He stuck firmly by any way of thinking he believed in, even if it meant he would be viewed as anti-Semitic. His role as an activist eventually took over his role as radio host, and Father Coughlin became a renowned figure, not only in America, but worldwide. Good or bad, he was a true celebrity of his era.