Abstract

Charles Coughlin was a priest in Royal Oak, Michigan, who became enormously popular due to his radio broadcasts in the 1930s and later became one of the most prominent anti-Semites in the United States. This Independent Study seeks to analyze his economic views; namely, how they fit into the economic thought of the Catholic Church, and how they evolved during and contributed to him becoming an anti-Semite and a fascist sympathizer. In the early part of his radio career, Coughlin’s economic views aligned with those of the Church, wishing to see government intervention utilized to aid the poor and workers and revalue and redistribute money as needed so that there was not a massive wealth discrepancy. As his favored economic solutions were not enacted by the government, Coughlin stepped into politics to try and directly lobby and pressure for economic change through his newly-formed organization, The National Union for Social Justice. Eventually, Coughlin helped to start a new political party, the Union Party, in an effort to oust Franklin D. Roosevelt. When that effort spectacularly failed at the 1936 presidential election, Coughlin became more and more obsessed with rooting out communism in American life, leading to him being publicly antisemitic and being taken off of the air by his bishop.

Advisor

Roche, Jeff

Department

History

Disciplines

Cultural History | History of Religion | Intellectual History | Social History

Keywords

History, Economic History, Catholicism, American History, Antisemitism

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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