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1932 › Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) › Antitrust and concentration of economic power

Strengthen and impartially enforce the antitrust laws

pledge_forwarddirectional_stanceparty_platformevidence A Economy & Fiscal PolicyIndustry, Business & Regulation similar solutions · similar reasoning

Solution

Strengthen and impartially enforce the antitrust laws against monopoly and unfair trade practices, and revise them to better protect labor and the small producer and distributor.

Rationale

The platform preamble blames "fostering the merger of competitive businesses into monopolies" as a chief cause of the Depression.

Statements (2)

1932-06-27 · Democratic National Convention, Chicago (platform) · conventionparty_platform ✓ verified

We advocate strengthening and impartial enforcement of the anti-trust laws, to prevent monopoly and unfair trade practices, and revision thereof for the better protection of labor and the small producer and distributor.

Source: 1932 Democratic Party Platform (1932-06-27)

1932-07-02 · Acceptance address, Democratic National Convention, Chicago · conventioncandidate_direct ✓ verified

That admirable document, the platform which you have adopted, is clear. I accept it 100 percent.

Blanket endorsement of every plank.

Source: Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (1932-07-02)

Follow-through

reversed

The NIRA suspended the antitrust laws for code-governed industries in June 1933 — the opposite of the platform's 'strengthening and impartial enforcement.' Vigorous enforcement returned only with Thurman Arnold in 1938.

Mechanisms

Date	Type	Name	Effect	Consistent?	Source
1933-06-16	statute	National Industrial Recovery Act — antitrust exemption charted on: Industrial production index (2017=100) · Producer (wholesale) price index, all commodities (1982=100)	One of the great restrictions upon such cooperative efforts up to this time has been our anti-trust laws.	no	Message to Congress Recommending Enactment of the National Industrial Recovery Act.

Assessments

reversed William E. Leuchtenburg — Franklin D. Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs | Miller Center

The NIRA suspended the antitrust laws as an enticement to business.

As an enticement to business, the NIRA suspended antitrust laws that had been reviled by business leaders since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Other positions on this issue

Use the full power of the federal government to break up private monopolies and enforce the antitrust laws 'without fear or favor' — Alf Landon, 1936 directional_stance
Vigorously enforce the antitrust laws and restore their efficacy against new corporate devices — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 directional_stance
Drive monopoly and price fixing out of the system or face governmental regimentation — William E. Borah, 1936 directional_stance

1932-fdr-antitrust-enforcement · created by claude-fable-5-1 · review: unreviewed