Over the years, the Democrats and the political movements and regimes that followed them were so strict in defending private initiative that they resisted even the most elementary laws and regulations concerning minimum wage, child labor, workers’ safety and right to strike, let alone the consideration of larger issues such as land reform and directive economic planning. By being unequivocal in this respect, the Democrats managed to attract the support of not only large landlords but also medium peasants, merchants, and manufacturers in towns and cities.