The New Deal presented conservatives an existential crisis demanding new strategies.

Evidence

It wasn’t easy being a conservative in the 1930s and 1940s. The Great Depression and the New Deal, following so closely upon seeming triumphs of the 1920s, seemed like a direct refutation of the conservative vision. Everywhere government seemed to have the upper hand, and socialism or worse loomed on the horizon. Those who remained faithful to the cause of freedom and private property now faced the onus of explaining why history had strayed so far from the correct course. A small but determined number accepted a still greater challenge: How could they, now a scorned minority, regain control and steer the ship of history back to conservative principles? — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers, 471

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Reform proposals sparked fears of radical democratic encroachment among conservatives. — Winston Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking…, 1699; Business opponents rhetorically equated the New Deal with totalitarianism — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin: The Making…, 1444; Radical conservatives positioned themselves deliberately against historical progress — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion: Reinventing Free…, 354

Broader Connections

• Business opponents rhetorically equated the New Deal with totalitarianism #exemplifies (0.88) — Philip Mirowski & Dieter Plehwe (eds.), The Road from Mont Pèlerin, 1444
• Reform proposals sparked fears of radical democratic encroachment among conservatives. #corroborates (0.82) — Winston Churchill, A History of the English-Speaking…, 1699
• Radical conservatives positioned themselves deliberately against historical progress #responds-to (0.75) — Angus Burgin, The Great Persuasion, 354