FD Roosevelt + New Deal Flashcards
1
Q
Why is the 1932 election often defined as ‘turning point election’
A
- the end of the long Republican ascendancy + beginning of the New Deal
2
Q
What were the themes of Roosevelt’s election campaign?
A
- govt. intervention was badly needed
- America had to come off the gold standard
- businesses should be reformed + regulated
- give a sense of hope + enthusiasm for the future
3
Q
Why did the Republicans lose the 1932 election?
A
- extremely unpopular due to the perceived failures of Hoover
- leading to the Democrats having a dominated victory - strong majorities in the House of Representatives + in the senate
4
Q
What was happening early 1933?
A
- banking crisis got worse
- unemployment rising
- farming crisis got worse
5
Q
Criticisms of FDR’s New Deal?
A
- conservative business leader through the went too far
- farmers+ workers thought he did not do nearly enough
- ran in troubles with Supreme Court - aspects of his new deal were regarded unconstitutional
6
Q
When did the New Deal start?
A
- as soon as FDR was inaugurated March 1933 his New Deal was launched
- FDR was given unprecedented powers by congress for 100 days to implement a programme of reform that would get American people back to work
- the ND policies in 1833 were both economic + political = aim was to rescue the economy from collapse
7
Q
How did the Hundred Days began?
A
- Emergency Banking Act passed 9 March = a banking holiday for 4 days
- the federal reserve was given power to issue currency + to supervise the reopening of banks
- Roosevelt gave his first radio ‘fireside chat’ - reassuring Americans their money would be safe + encouraging them to deposit it in banks again
8
Q
Aims of the New Deal?
A
- relief - helping the victims of the depression
- recovery - trying to get the economy going again
- reform - solving problems that caused the depression in the first place
9
Q
What were Alphabet Agencies?
A
- new organisations + federal recovery programmes
- 59 were created 1933-38
10
Q
Relief + recovery alphabet agencies (first new deal)
A
- AAA (1933) = agricultural adjustment Administration
- CCC (1933) = civilian conservation corps
- FCA (1933) = farm credit administration
- FERA (1933) = federal emergency relief administration
- PWA (1933) = public works administration
- TVA (1934) = Tennessee valley authority
11
Q
What was the role of the AAA?
A
- provided farmers with federal subsidies to compensate them for cutting back the overproduction of basic commodities
- e.g. pork, wheat, cotton
12
Q
What was the role of the CCC?
A
- provided work for young men (18-25) working on conservation projects
- e.g. planting trees for windbreaks + improving national parks
13
Q
What was the role of the FCA?
A
- helped farmers manage their debts by loans from federal funds to pay for seed, machinery etc.
14
Q
What was the role of the FERA?
A
- provided $500 million to state + local agencies for relief payments to the unemployed
15
Q
What was the role of the FHA?
A
- provided govt. funding to help people keep up with mortgage payments
16
Q
What was the role of the PWA?
A
- provided more than $3 billion for work-creation projects, such as roads
17
Q
What was the role of the TVA?
A
- coordinated schemes for conservation + regeneration in southern + western states
-e.g. built dams to provide hydroelectric power, flood control + irrigation - also social projects such as education
18
Q
What was the purpose of reform + regulation agencies?
A
- aimed to protect the rights of unions + workers
- to use govt. intervention to impose reforms on private companies
- e.g. Bank Act = regulate banking + credit to protect savers
19
Q
Reform + regulation agencies (first new deal)
A
- NRA (1933) - National recovery act
- ERTA (1934) - Emergency Railways transportation act
- FCC (1934) - Federal communications commission
- SEC (1934) - Security + exchange commission
20
Q
What was the role of the NRA?
A
- to foster co-operation between the different sides of industry by developing agreed codes of practice
- these codes were about issues such as production levels, wage rates, working hours, price + trade union rights
21
Q
What was the role of the ERTA?
A
- regulated railroad companies
22
Q
What was the role of the FCC?
A
- set up federal regulation of radio + telegraph services
23
Q
What was the role of SEC?
A
- extended the banking act to set up federal regulation of trading in stocks + shares
- strengthened the Federal Reserve in Washington
- it was now illegal to stocks on credit
24
Q
Successes of the First New Deal?
A
- us no longer on gold standard - stabilised financial markets
- relief provided to certain groups - protecting homeowners + farmers by giving help to refinance loans
- provided employment through public work schemes - e.g. CWA provided employment for 4 million workers building roads + airports
- changed the national mood from hopelessness to optimism
25
Q
Failures of the first new deal?
A
- AAA never achieved what govt. hoped - agricultural crisis intensified due to droughts
- the AAA worsened rural poverty - sharecroppers were already suffering but suffered even more because the AAA reduced the amount of land used to grow cotton
- little direct help to AA because Roosevelt didn’t want to antagonise the southern politicians + business leaders who might hv obstructed the new deal policies
- end of 1934 - 22 million unemployed
26
Q
Overview of the second new deal?
A
- launched in June 1935
- relief schemes were expanded through the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- bought in federal social security benefits
- reformed labour relations through the Wagner act
27
Q
Second new deal alphabet agencies
A
- FLSA (1936) - Fair Labour Standard Act
- FSA (1937) - Farm Security Administration
- NHA (1938) - National Housing Act
- NYA (1935) - National Youth Administration
- REA (1935) - Rural Electrician Administration
- SSA (1935) - Social Security Administration
- WPA (1935) - Works Progress Administration
28
Q
What was the role of the FLSA?
A
- set a minimum wage + 40 hour week
29
Q
What was the role of the FSA?
A
gave federal loans to farmers
30
Q
What was the role of the NHA?
A
set up housing projects for poorer families
31
Q
What was the role of the NYA?
A
helped youth with education + training
32
Q
What was the role of REA?
A
bought electricity to rural areas
33
Q
What was the role of the SSA?
A
gave federal insurance to the elderly, unemployed + disabled
34
Q
What was the role of the WPA?
A
a major public works scheme to provide jobs + relief
35
Q
What was the Wagner Act?
A
- 1935
- first national legislation which recognised the right of workers to elect their own representatives to take part in collective bargaining with employers
- it therefore recognised the right for workers to form trade unions - trade union membership grew from 3.7 million 1933 to 9 million 1938
36
Q
Why did Roosevelt pass the Wagner Act if he was anti-trade union?
A
- support for his re-election
37
Q
What was the NLRB?
A
- national labour relations board
- was set up to ensure fair play - employers were forbidden to resort to unfair practices such as discrimination against unionists
38
Q
Limitations of the Wagner Act?
A
- did not apply to those already covered by the Railway Labour Act
- didn’t apply to agricultural workers , domestic employees, federal, state or local govt. workers
- Big businesses weren’t cooperating - Ford didn’t accept trade unions (Union of Auto Workers) until 1941
39
Q
Importance of the Wagner Act?
A
- first piece of legislation that recognised the right of workers to elect their own representatives to take part in collective bargaining with employers = landmark development of labour rights
- gave workers the right to join trade unions
- set up the NLRB that had the power to bargain on the behalf of workers
- facilitated the growth of trade union membership
40
Q
What was the CIO?
A
- Congress of Industrial Action (1935-37)
- formed due to the concern of exclusion of unskilled workers in the Wagner Act
- CIO began to organise labour in mass production industries - steel, automobiles etc.
- black workers + immigrants workers benefited from the CIO’s support for equality
- gather 3.7 mil. workers
