Which individual was a prominent critic of the New Deal and advocated 'Share Our Wealth'?

• A. Father Charles Coughlin
• B. Dr Francis Townsend
• C. Huey Long
• D. Eleanor Roosevelt

Answer: (C)

This item tests knowledge of a major critic of the New Deal and what he proposed. Huey Long, the Louisiana politician who rose to prominence as both governor and senator, argued that the New Deal didn’t go far enough to help ordinary people and curb extreme wealth inequality. He launched the Share Our Wealth movement, which called for drastic redistribution: heavy taxes on the rich, confiscation of fortunes above a certain level, and a guaranteed annual income for every American. The idea was to fund broad welfare by taking wealth from the top and sharing it with the broader population, a direct challenge to the policy approach of the New Deal.

Other figures had different critiques or focuses. Father Charles Coughlin critiqued the New Deal from a religious and economic reform angle, advocating banking reform, but not the Share Our Wealth plan. Dr. Francis Townsend proposed a pension for the elderly funded by a tax, not a broad wealth redistribution program. Eleanor Roosevelt supported and expanded New Deal reforms rather than opposing them.