3 - How far was the New Deal in ending the Depression in the USA?

Question 1

‘The New Deal is doing too much’

Answer 1

• too complicated with too many codes and regulations
• Roosevelt behaving like a dictator
• schemes like the TVA created unfair competition for private companies
• the New Deal schemes were similar to the economic plans being carried out in the communist USSR

Question 2

‘The New Deal isn’t doing enough’

Answer 2

• too complicated
• not enough help for African-Americans
• shouldn’t be able to have a personal fortune more than $3million
• all Americans should pay tax
• pensions for people over 60+
• everyone should have a free radio and washing machine

Question 3

Business leaders and the New Deal

Answer 3

• unhappy about regulations on working conditions
• didn’t like the growth of trade unions and their increasing power (i dont know what this means either)
• didn’t like the cost of welfare programmes

Question 4

The states and the New Deal

Answer 4

• the TVA cut right across the rights of individual states

- they feared the Federal Government was becoming too powerful

Question 5

Politicians and the New Deal

Answer 5

• republicans hated Roosevelt (dicks) they thought he was making the government too powerful
• even some conservative democrats opposed him

Question 6

The Supreme Court

Answer 6

• they clashed with Roosevelt
• their judges (mainly old and republican) ruled several of the section of the New Deal as illegal
• in 1937 Roosevelt tried to appoint six new judges who were democrats
• whilst this didn’t happen, the opposition from the Supreme Court lessened

Question 7

Overall weaknesses of the New Deal

Answer 7

• he never fully conquered unemployment in the 1930s
• the USA’s trade never recovered
• African-Americans gained hardly anything from the New Deal
• only the USA’s entry into the war solved the unemployment problem

Question 8

Overall successes of the New Deal

Answer 8

• the Depression never led to extreme movements like Communism or Nazism
• Roosevelt restored America’s faith in democracy
• many millions of jabs were created and vital relief was supplied to the poor
• the New Deal stabilised the banking system

Question 9

The Second World War and economic recovery

Answer 9

• in 1940, Congress allowed Britain to to buy weapons and other goods on a ‘cash and carry’ basis
• in March 1941, Congress agreed to a Lend Lease programme, which allowed the USA to ship large amounts of materials to Britain
• as a result, the US economy quickly recovered
• also benefited Africa Americans, farmers and women!! wahoo