The National Union for Social Justice (NUSJ) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

political movement A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

formed in 1934 by

Charles Coughlin Charles Edward Coughlin ( ; October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979), commonly known as Father Coughlin, was a Canadian-American Catholic priest based in the United States near Detroit. He was the founding priest of the National Shrine of the ...

, a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

priest and radio host. It heavily criticized

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

, and the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, while also advocating for the nationalization of utilities and banks. The organization dissolved in 1937 after the political party it sponsored, the Union Party, drew less than two percent of the popular vote in the

1936 United States presidential election The 1936 United States presidential election was the 38th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. In the midst of the Great Depression, incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Gover ...

History

The National Union for Social Justice was one of the most powerful movements to challenge Roosevelt's

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

policies. NUSJ fought for social equality and promoted populist ideologies. Membership was open to all Americans regardless of race, economic background or religious faith. At the height of the Union's popularity, it reached a membership of 7.5 million people, including

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s, who were registered voters. Coughlin promoted the National Union for Social Justice by spreading the word on his weekly radio program, ''Hour of Power'', presenting his organization as the opponent of the evils of capitalism and big business. The National Union for Social Justice also created its own publication, titled ''Social Justice'', in 1936. This publication promoted the ideologies of NUSJ and promoted anti-Semitic themes as well. However, ''Social Justice'' did not last long. In 1942, the publication's mail permit was revoked under the

Espionage Act of 1917 The Espionage Act of 1917 is a United States federal law enacted on June 15, 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I. It has been amended numerous times over the years. It was originally found in Title 50 of the U.S. Code (War ...

. The National Union for Social Justice helped create a

third party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...

, called the Union Party, formed to challenge Roosevelt in the presidential election of 1936. Its founding members included Father Charles E. Coughlin, activist

Francis Townsend Francis Everett Townsend (; January 13, 1867 – September 1, 1960) was an American physician and political activist in California, In 1933 he devised an old-age pension scheme to help alleviate the Great Depression. Known as the "Townsend Plan ...

, and politician

Gerald L. K. Smith Gerald Lyman Kenneth Smith (February 27, 1898 – April 15, 1976) was an American clergyman, politician and organizer known for his populist and far-right demagoguery. A leader of the populist Share Our Wealth movement during the Great Depressio ...

. Their goal was to propose a populist alternative to the New Deal reforms made by Roosevelt, as well as to help draw democratic voters away from Roosevelt so a Republican could be voted into office. This short-lived party broke up following the

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated grade (slope), slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of ...

re-election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936.Phillip, Grant (January 1990). "The Priest in Politics: Father Charles E. Coughlin and the Presidential Election of 1936." ''America: History & Life'' 101 (1) The National Union for Social Justice and Union Party did not influence the election as they had anticipated, and their political agendas were losing support in the United States. The NUSJ eventually wound down in 1937, largely replaced by the Christian Front, which Coughlin swung even more sharply toward anti-Semitism and praise for Nazi Germany, both before and after the United States' entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

{{reflist Political organizations based in the United States Syncretic political movements Far-right organizations in the United States Anti-communist organizations in the United States