FDR's War on Monopoly: Thurman Arnold and the Antitrust Division

FDR's War on Monopoly: Thurman Arnold and the Antitrust Division

In 1937, a Yale law professor named Thurman Arnold took over the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and turned it into a weapon against corporate power. This episode follows Arnold's crusade against cartels and monopolies — from the aluminum giant Alcoa to the Hollywood studios that controlled movie distribution. We explore why FDR pivoted to antitrust after the early New Deal's corporatist experiments, how Arnold used consent decrees and criminal prosecutions to reshape American business, and the surprising resistance he faced from within the administration itself. Along the way, we meet figures like Robert H. Jackson, Wendell Berge, and the economists who argued that monopoly was strangling recovery. This is the story of the New Deal's most aggressive attack on concentrated economic power — and why it ultimately ran out of steam. #ThurmanArnold #Antitrust #NewDeal #Monopoly #Alcoa #FDR #RobertJackson #JusticeDepartment #ShermanAntitrustAct #ConsentDecree #Corporatism #GreatDepression #Cartels #WendellBerge #EconomicHistory #NorthAmerica #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's TVA: The Electric Power Battle for the Tennessee Valley

In this episode, we turn our attention to the Tennessee Valley Authority — the New Deal's most ambitious experiment in regional planning, public power, and economic transformation. We follow the TVA from its 1933 founding through the 1930s, as it built a network of dams and hydroelectric plants that brought electricity to millions of rural southerners for the first time. We explore the fierce opposition from private power companies like Wendell Willkie's Commonwealth & Southern, the Supreme Court battle in Ashwander v. TVA, and the controversial Norris Dam. We also confront the TVA's dark side: the displacement of thousands of families, the flooding of ancestral lands, and the agency's role in perpetuating racial inequality in hiring and housing. We discuss the leadership of Arthur Morgan, David Lilienthal, and Harcourt Morgan, and the tensions between their competing visions. This is the story of a revolutionary experiment that reshaped the American landscape — for better and for worse. #TVA #TennesseeValleyAuthority #FranklinRoosevelt #NewDeal #PublicPower #ElectricPower #ArthurMorgan #DavidLilienthal #WendellWillkie #NorrisDam #AshwanderVSTVA #RuralElectrification #MuscleShoals #TennesseeValley #1930s #NewDealHistory #AmericanHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Bank Holiday and the Emergency Banking Act of 1933

In March 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt took office amid a banking panic that had shuttered banks across the country. This episode explores the dramatic first days of the New Deal: Roosevelt's decision to declare a national bank holiday, the emergency passage of the Emergency Banking Act, and the fireside chat that reassured millions. We talk about the role of William H. Woodin, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation under Jesse Jones, the distinction between sound and unsound banks, and how the crisis was used to push through the Glass-Steagall Act and create the FDIC. We also touch on the human cost—families who lost their life savings—and the political gamble that paid off, restoring faith in the banking system within a week. #FDR #NewDeal #BankHoliday #EmergencyBankingAct #GreatDepression #FDIC #GlassSteagall #FiresideChat #WilliamHWoodin #JesseJones #ReconstructionFinanceCorporation #BankingCrisis #1933 #NorthAmerica #AmericanHistory #EconomicHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's Social Security: The Fight for Old-Age Pensions

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the creation of the Social Security Act of 1935, a landmark of the New Deal. They discuss the fight over old-age pensions, the role of Frances Perkins—the first female cabinet secretary—and the political compromises that shaped the program. Learn about the Townsend Plan, which pressured FDR into action, the exclusion of agricultural and domestic workers, and the lasting impact of Social Security on American life. The conversation also touches on the Supreme Court case Helvering v. Davis, which upheld the program's constitutionality. A deep dive into one of the most enduring legacies of the Roosevelt administration. #SocialSecurity #FranklinDRoosevelt #NewDeal #FrancesPerkins #TownsendPlan #OldAgePensions #HelveringvDavis #SocialSecurityAct #1935 #GreatDepression #AmericanHistory #NLRB #WagnerAct #FDR #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #NorthAmerica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

FDR's 'Black Thursday' and the Supreme Court Showdown of 1937

In this episode of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal Explained, Lucas and Luna dive into the untold story of FDR's 1937 economic misstep known as 'Roosevelt's Recession' and the dramatic Supreme Court shift that followed. After years of New Deal recovery, FDR slashed federal spending in 1937, plunging the nation back into depression. Industrial production fell by a third, unemployment spiked, and the administration scrambled to reverse course. Lucas explains the roles of Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr., the flawed 'balanced budget' ideology, and the Keynesian revolt led by Marriner Eccles. Then the conversation turns to the 'switch in time that saved nine'—Justice Owen Roberts's pivotal vote in West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish, which upheld a minimum wage law and signaled the Court's acceptance of the New Deal. Lucas unpacks the internal court dynamics, Justice Hughes's savvy maneuvering, and how FDR's failed court-packing plan still achieved its goal. Special attention to Justice Louis Brandeis's behind-the-scenes role. A story of hubris, recovery, and the unwritten rules of constitutional law. #RooseveltsRecession #HenryMorgenthauJr #MarrinerEccles #OwenRoberts #WestCoastHotel #CourtPacking #SupremeCourt #NewDeal #FranklinDRoosevelt #1937Recession #KeynesianEconomics #LouisBrandeis #CharlesEvansHughes #BalancedBudget #GreatDepression #History #FexingoHistory #NorthAmericanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]