Roosevelt 1933-45 and the New Deal Flashcards
3Rs
Relief – Assist in the removal of poverty and provide food for the starving Recovery – Ensure the economy was boosted so that people would be given jobs Reform – Ensure there were welfare provisions in the future to help the unemployed, old, sick, disabled and the destitute
Alphabet Agencies
Nickname given to the group of organisations set up as part of the New Deal to restore the shattered economy
- CCC - Civilian Conservation Corps: Provided 6 months of work to men aged between 18 and 25 in conservation projects such as planting trees to stop soil erosion. By 1940 over 2 million men had been given work.
- AAA - Agricultural Adjustment Administration: Subsidies were paid to farmers to destroy crops and slaughter animals to push up prices. By 1936 farm incomes were 1.5 times higher than in 1933
- PWA - Public Works Administration: The government spent $3.3 billion on huge scale public works projects for the unemployed e.g. building schools, roads and hospitals.
Fireside chats
30 speeches he gave over the radio and later TV during his presidency. He outlined his plans for the country and spoke to the American people as if they were his close friends.
Emergency Banking Act 1933
- Set up to restore confidence in the banking system.
- Prevented banks from investing saving deposits in the stock market which was too unpredictable.
- Closed all banks for 10 days, officially backs 5000 banks and reassured the American people that their money was safer in the bank so that when the banks opened, people no longer wanted to withdraw their savings.
Economy - successes and failures
+ Stabilised US banking system and greatly improved the infrastructure of USA by providing roads, schools and power stations.
- The New Deal provided only short term solutions and did not solve the underlying economic problems.
When in 1937, Roosevelt reduced the New Deal budget, the country went back into the depression
Social Welfare - successes and failures
+ The Social Security Act provided the USA with a semi-welfare state which include pensions for the elderly and state help for the sick and disabled.
- Some argued that social welfare measures put too much pressure on taxpayers and encouraged people to “sponge” off the state.
President and Role of Government - successes and failures
+ The New Deal restored the faith of people in the Government after the “lasses-faire” approach of Hoover. It preserved democracy and ensured there was no mass support of right wing politicians.
- Roosevelt gave too much power to the Federal Government and the President. The Federal Government was becoming directly involved in areas which had traditionally been managed by State Governments.
Unemployment and industrial workers - successes and failures
+ The Alphabet Agencies provided work for millions: unemployment fell from a peak of 24.9 million in 1933 to 14.3 million in 1937.
- The Alphabet Agencies provided only short term jobs. Once these ended, people were back on the dole. Even at its best in 1937, there were still over 14 million out of work.
Women - successes and failures
+ Some women achieved prominent positions in the New Deal. Eleanor Roosevelt became an important campaigner for social reform. Roosevelt appointed first woman in cabinet.
- Some State Governments tried to avoid social security payments to women by introducing special qualifications. Some of the National Industry Recovery Act codes of 1933 actually required women to be paid less than men.
Black Americans - successes and failures
+ Around 200,000 benefited from the Alphabet Agencies and many others benefited from housing projects.
- Many Alphabet Agencies discriminated against black Americans; they either got no work or received worse treatment and lower wages than their white colleagues
Opposition from individuals
- Huey Long: Previously Governor of Louisiana. He claimed Roosevelt failed to share out the Nation’s wealth fairly.
- Father Charles Coughlin: Criticised the New Deal for not doing enough and labelled Roosevelt an “Anti-God” because he was not really helping the needy.
Opposition from government
- The Supreme Court: They opposed some of Roosevelt’s measures because most of the judges were Republican. Out of 16 cases concerning alphabet Agencies which were tried by the Supreme Court in 1935-36, 11 of them had declared that Roosevelt had acted unconstitutionally. In reality he had used powers that the constitution had not given him
- Southern Conservative Democrats and Republicans: They believed Roosevelt was doing too much to help the people and that he was changing the accepted role of government
