Stalemate Summary and Analysis

By 1937 there was more organized opposition to the New Deal. While the Congress and the president were jockeying for position, the farm bloc decided to promote its cause and try to get some of the programs that it wanted. Roosevelt finally agreed to reverse his spending policies and began to propose more spending programs. Some hoped he would go further and support the anti-monopoly proposals. There was a Temporary National Economic Committee (TNEC) ,and this group's inquiry lasted for three years. They conducted an extensive inquiry into business conduct and practices.

When Roosevelt appointed Thurman Arnold as Assistant Attorney General in charge of Antitrust, the trust-busting activities began. Arnold brought many anti-trust cases against business during the next five years, more than had been undertaken since the passage of the Sherman Act. Another issue was the Revenue Act of 1938, which was...