Alternatives on the Left and Right.

American politics consists of the interplay of individuals, interest groups, and their contending worldviews. The politics of the 1930s were extraordinarily dynamic. As the economy tumbled ever more swiftly downhill in the early 1930s, Americans contemplated the social, economic, and political conditions that had—to a greater or lesser extent— ruled the United States since its founding. Some individuals began to question the free-market capitalism and constitutional republicanism (representative democracy) that had been foundational tenets of American history. Though the gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States rose from $56 billion in 1933 to $72 billion in 1935, unemployment remained at more than 10 million workers. The optimism of Roosevelt's first hundred days was increasingly replaced by frustration and anger. Voices of protest were heard from the political Right and Left.