Roosevelt And The New Deal

Question 1

Election fo Roosevelt

Answer 1

By 1932 people had lost confidence in hoover. Roosevelt won in the November elections in 1932. In his election campaign he promised government action to help poor and unemployed and to hive more protection to workers. He also promised to end prohibition. People felt that he cared about their problems, unlike hoover who believed it was the individuals own fault if they were poor. Roosevelt promised “a New Deal for the American people “. When he took to office, the Great Depression was at its wort. Unemployment had reached 16 million, and the country was in the middle of a massive banking crisis. Roosevelt,t realised that capitalism would no longer work on its own and that the government would have to get involved

Question 2

What is Roosevelt’s full name

Answer 2

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Question 3

The New Deal

Answer 3

Which advise from a panel of experts, Roosevelt launched a series of measures to rescue the American economy, The New Deal. It had three main aims
- relief: to provide immediate relief to those wort affected by the depression
- recovery: t promote them recovery of the economy by getting industry going again and people back to work
- reform: to introduce fundamental reforms of the whole economic system too ensure that similar crisis would not happen again
Roosevelt introduces ‘Fireside Chats’ : a series of radio broadcasts aimed at ordinary citizens, in which he explained the measures that the government was taking. By communicating his optimism, he restored people’s confidence, which was essential for economic recovery

Question 4

The First New Deal

Answer 4

The emphasis of the first new deal was of relief and recovery. Almost immediately after Roosevelt became president, the American congress was called into a special session to make romantic decisions that were necessary. It lasted from march to June and was called the 100 days. During this time, new laws were passed to deal with the most pressing problems. Much of the work was carried out by new government agencies. They were known by their initials, so they became known as ‘alphabet agencies’

Question 5

Analysis of the first new deal

Answer 5

It tackled 4 key areas of the economy 
Financial crisis 
Unemployment
Agriculture 
Industrial collapse 
They tried to improve things by legislation and programmes

Question 6

Legislation

Answer 6

The financial crisis

Question 7

The financial crisis

Answer 7

The government closed all banks and only allowed financially sound ones to reopen. Other laws guaranteed the investment of small investors and stopped unsound business practices on the stock exchange. The government made loans available to help people to pay their mortgage bonds and avoid losing homes

Question 8

Programmes

Answer 8

Unemployment
Agriculture
Industrial collapse

Question 9

Unemployment

Answer 9

The First New Deal gave money to provide relief and to set up public works projects using money borrowed by the government.
Two examples were:
The CCC and PWA

Question 10

What does CCC stand for

Answer 10

Civilian Conservation Corps

Question 11

What does PWA stand for

Answer 11

Public Works Administration

Question 12

Civilian conservation corps

Answer 12

They gave work and taught skills to 3 million unemployed young men from the cities. Work amps for these men were set up n rural areas. They worked in projects or lasting benefit, such as erosion control, tree planting, forest firefighting and flood control

Question 13

Public works administration

Answer 13

This provided government funding to build schools, hospitals, bridges and other public buildings. All projects funded by the PWA required the hiring of some African American workers, which se and example for other New Deal Agencies

Question 14

Agriculture

Answer 14

To help farmers tackle the problems in agriculture, the first new deal set up two agencies:
The AAA and the TVA

Question 15

What does AAA stand for

Answer 15

Agricultural Adjustment Administration

Question 16

What does TVA stand for

Answer 16

Tennessee Valley Authority

Question 17

AAA

Answer 17

Paid farmers subsidies to reduce production and to destroy crops and livestock. This was to reduce the surpluses and stabilise prices. This helped farmers recover, but many people criticised the destruction of produce at the time when there was great poverty and even starvation. Although AAA helped farmers who owned land, many tenant farmers and sharecroppers were evicted because there was no longer as much work for them

Question 18

TVA

Answer 18

They built dams to control flooding and to provide hydro-electricity for industries, and planted trees to stop erosion. The TVA created thousands of jobs and improved living conditions for millions of people across seven states

Question 19

Industrial collapse

Answer 19

The First New Deal aimed to promote recovery by increasing wages, in this way making it possible for workers to buy more. It stabilised prices so that businesses could make a profit and employ more workers
NRA

Question 20

What does NRA stand for

Answer 20

National Recovery Administration

Question 21

NRA

Answer 21

It drew up codes for each industry, to fix prices, limit working hours, set minimum wages and ban child labour

Question 22

The second new deal

Answer 22

The main aim was to reform the American economy. The social security act established a system of old-age pensions, health benefits, unemployment insurance, child welfare, and poor relief. Other laws laid down a minimum wage and maximum working hours in certain industries. Another measure boosted the trade union movement, by recognising the rights of workers to join unions and to take strike action.
WPA

Question 23

What does WPA stand for

Answer 23

Works Progress Administration

Question 24

WPA

Answer 24

It provided work for 8 million people. It set up constriction and conservation projects, and gave work to unemployed writers, artists, musicians, actors and teachers in cultural arts projects. One project recorded interviews with over 2 thousand surviving ex-slaves. It is one of the most valuable historical records about slavery in America

Question 25

Opposition to the new deal

Answer 25

The New Deal’s measures had spread wide support and Roosevelt was re-elected by a huge majority of voters.

• people accused Roosevelt of behaving like a dictator and taking over the power of individual states. They said the new deal underestimated self-reliance and ‘rugged individualism’ by making people dependant on the government and welfare grants
• many people felt that Roosevelt;s policies were too revolutionary and that he was taking the country towards socialism
• business leaders accused the government of interfering in areas beyond its control, by setting minimum wage and maximum working hours and recognising trade unions. They resented having to pay social security contributions for their employees. They criticised schemes like the TVA which they felt provided unfair competition with probate enterprises
• many wealthy Americans resented having to pay higher taxes to pay for the new deal. They criticised Roosevelt, who himself came from a very wealthy background, for ignoring the concerns of the rich. They said he was a traitor to his class.
• the Supreme Court declared many new deal acts to be unconstitutional. For example it ruled the AAA threatened powers of individual states and theta the NRA interfered in business practice. There was a constitutional crisis when Roosevelt threatened to replace many of the older and more conservative judges, with others more sympathetic to his policies. Even Roosevelt’s supporters felt that the government should not threaten the independant even of the court. After the crisis the court accepted modifies versions of some of the laws.
• some felt the new deal did not go far enough into solving economic problems and social inequalities.

Question 26

Assessment of the new deal

Answer 26

It restored the economy
Strengthened confidence in democracy
Gained long term benefit
The principle of the government’s responsibility for the welfare of citizens was accepted for the first time
Strengthened the position of the president
Not everyone benefited

Question 27

New deal restored the economy

Answer 27

Confidence returned, prices stablaised, the banking system was reformed and unemployment was reduced, although there was recession and unemployment rose agin. This was because the government started to cut back spending on projects because it though that the problems of the economy had been stoves. The economy remained fragile and unemployment was only solved by the outbreak of WWII

Question 28

Success of the new deal strengthened confidence in democracy

Answer 28

At a time when democracy was under threat in other parts of the world as a result of the depression

Question 29

Gained long-term benefits

Answer 29

Building of dams

Question 30

Welfare of citizens was accepted

Answer 30

This overturned the Republican belief that the government had no role to play in providing for the unemployed, old or sick

Question 31

Strengthened position of president

Answer 31

And gave increased power to federal government. She were critical of this, saying that it undermined the constitution

Question 32

Not everyone benefited

Answer 32

Problems of share-croppers, tenant farmers and migrant workers remained. Despite some attempt to correct this, the position of african Americans and Native American did not improve much and neither did the status of women

Question 33

did the new deal weaken or strengthen capitalism in the USA

Answer 33

It abandoned some of the practices of pure, uncontrolled capitalism. Because of this, critics accused the government of destroying capitalism and democracy. They said the new deal undermined the underlying principles of capitalist economic policies - minimal taxation, weak trade unions and free enterprise

Question 34

Who did the new deal challenge capitalist economic thinking

Answer 34

• Government intervention in the economy contradicted ideas about free marked capitalism with no government controls or interference
• large scale government spending to provide employment challenged the idea that the state should not interfere with the working of a capitalist economy. The state artificially provided jobs when capitalist employers did not need these workers.
• some measures of the TVA were seen a as a threat to the free enterprise, because they competed with private power companies to generate and sell electricity to local authorities
• business leaders accused government of interfering in areas beyond its control.
• the social security act wet against capitalist belief that the government had no role to pay in providing for unemployed, the old or sick.

Question 35

How did the new deal strengthen capitalism

Answer 35

It attempted to make capitalism work by adopting sine if the methods associated with socialism, such as government support for welfare and jobs. They also believed that the success of the new deal gave the USA the economic stability that it needed to maintain democracy at a time when many countries were being taken over by totalitarian regimes

Question 36

The outbreak of WWII and the economic recovery of the USA

Answer 36

The new deal did not solve all the economic problems of the depression. The unemployment problem was only really solved by the outbreak of WWII, and the US entry into the war. The American economy when into full war production and became the main source or arms and ammunition die the allied armies, providing a solid base for the allied victory in the war. It also brought back full employment and better wager for workers who were in great demand. Roosevelt was re-elected, the only president to ever have served more than 2 terms in office. Despite shortcomings, the new deal was partly responsible for the emergence of the USA as one of the two superpowers after WWII.