John A. Ryan, Catholic Social Teaching, and the New Deal

Monsignor John A. Ryan was the foremost proponent of Catholic social teaching in Depression-era America, a leading figure in the bishops’ conference, and an enthusiastic supporter of the New Deal. This lecture examines Ryan’s application of Catholic social teaching to economics and politics in the United States in the 1930s, seeking to understand how he came to endorse one of the most dramatic expansions of government in American history.

 

Recommended Readings

Readings and a basic biography are available online at the John A. Ryan Institute: https://www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/cst/about/johnaryan/

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Course Years:

2022,
2019

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