Second New Deal Flashcards
1
Q
What did the 2nd New Deal act as a shift away from?
A
away from recovery towards economic security
2
Q
What major group played a large part in shaping the ideology of the 2nd new deal?
A
unions
3
Q
What did unions consider the economic downturn was caused by?
A
economic downturn caused by underconsumption
4
Q
What did unions suggest best way to combat depression was?
A
to increase wages to provide greater purchasing power
5
Q
When was the Wagner Act introduced?
A
1935
6
Q
Other name for the Wagner Act
A
National Labour relations Act
7
Q
What board did the Wagner Act set up?
A
National Labour Relations Board
8
Q
What did the government see the Wagner Act as doing in terms of unions?
A
channelling labour rebellion into elections
9
Q
What did the Supreme Court deem the Wagner act?
A
constitutional
10
Q
What did the National Labour Relations Board give unions?
A
legal status
11
Q
What did the Supreme Court rule ‘sit downs’?
A
illegal
12
Q
What type of strike action did the Supreme Court rule was illegal?
A
Sit Downs
13
Q
When was a minimum wage introduced?
A
1938
14
Q
What was the minimum wage introduced in 1938
A
25cents per hour
15
Q
What other X2 conditions were introduced at the same time as the minimum wage?
A
- 40hour maximum working week
- outlawed child labour
16
Q
What was a criticism of the federally subsidised housing projects?
A
only built for a small %
17
Q
What did the federally subsidised housing projects provide?
A
despite only a small % of the population benefitting from the houses being built
playgrounds, vermin-free apartments, regeneration of dilapidated buildings
= built confidence
18
Q
Why did employers accept the Wagner act as a good thing?
A
considered unions more controllable - so more stabilising than wildcat strikes
19
Q
In the 1934 mid-term congressional elections how many seats did Democrats end up with in the Senate?
A
69/96
20
Q
What did the Republican campaign capitalise upon (run by Landon)?
A
nostalgia for pre-depression days
21
Q
Which democrats did Landon win the support of?
A
many Wilsonian democrats
22
Q
Why did Wilsonian democrats switch to Landon?
A
believed FDR had abandoned goals of equality of opportunity and thrift
23
Q
Was the Republican campaign of 1936 pro or anti gold standard?
A
Pro
24
Q
Where did Al Smith’s allegiance fall in the 1936 campaign?
A
with the Liberty Leaguers
25
What did Al Smith refer to his old running mate FDR as?
turning towards "socialist direction"
26
FDR won all cities of more than 100,000 people (100+) apart from how many?
2
27
What had happened to industrial output since FDR had taken office?
doubled
28
What were corporation profit sheets like when FDR took office?
$2billion in deficit
29
By 1936 what were corporation profit sheets like?
$5billion in the black (positive)
30
Who had the negro vote traditionally been aligned with?
Lincoln (Republican)
31
Why was the New Deal criticised by Negro leaders?
AAA drove away tenant farmers
failed to enact civil rights legisaltion
32
What did the 2nd New Deal include Negroes in?
NYA and employment in Department of Interior
33
What happened to the Negro vote in 1934 and 1936?
increasingly swayed towards democrats
34
How many more negro votes did FDR hold in 1936 than 1932?
double
35
What did Lippmann describe the 2nd new deal as?
the "most comprehensive program of reform ever achieved in this country by any administration"
36
Schlesinger saw 1st new deal as...
attempt to reduce business competition in favour of cooperation (AAA and NRA)
37
Schlesinger saw 2nd new deal as...
re-introduction of competition w/ regulations on fair play
38
Action : Public Utility Holding Company Act
breaking up of holding companies
39
What type of congress came out of the 1934 mid-term congressional elections?
- increased democratic majority
- increased radical congress
e. g Farmer Labor Party
40
What was the climate of the new congress that appeared in 1934? What did FDR think of this?
one of action
| FDR wanted his own measures before others forced ideas he did not agree with
41
What particular body attacked FDR's Wealth Tax Act in 1935
US Chamber of Commerce
42
What were officials in Washington increasingly aware of in regards to smaller businesses
recognised small business was crucial in economic recovery
43
Which side of the political spectrum did FDR believe held the largest threat to the New Deal?
the left
44
DATE : Emergency Relief Appropriation Act
April 1935
45
Under the Emergency Relief Appropriate Act the new WPA was set up, led by whom?
Harry Hopkins
46
At any one time how many employees did the WPA have?
2million
47
By 1941 what % of workers had at some point been employed by the WPA?
20%
48
Wages were approximately what monthly in the WPA?
$52
49
How long did the WPA provide employment for?
one year only
50
what was the WPA not allowed to do? X3
- compete with private enterprise
- build private homes
- large scale projects
51
Example of a large scale project that WPA engaged in (although not supposed to)
Fort Knox Gold Reserves
52
What did the NYA stand for?
National Youth Administration
53
what did the NYA provide?
part time jobs to students
54
What did the NYA allow students to do?
earn money to pay for their education + complete their studies
55
What was the NYA Division of Negro Affairs? Who was it led by?
had own funding for African-American students
led by African-american Mary Bethume
56
Who encouraged minorities to participate in government schemes and encouraged their employment in the Department of Interior?
Eleanor Roosevelt
57
In 7years how many did the NYA give employment to in terms of students?
2.1million
58
in 7 years how many did NYA given employment to in terms of youth not in school?
2.6million
59
Evidence of WPA and NYA being generous employers
complaints of lack of farm field hands and domestic servants
60
When did FDR veto Veteran Bonus Marcher's payments for the 2nd time?
May 1935
61
DATE : Rural electrification administration
May 1935
62
What did the REA offer?
low-interest loans to farming cooperatives to invest in electrification
63
In 1936 what % of farms had electricity
12.6%
64
Why did only 12.6% of farms have electricity in 1936?
not deemed profitable, so banks reluctant to lend funds
65
by 1941 what % of farms had electricity
35%
66
DATE : Resettlement Administration
May 1935
67
Action : Resettlement Administration
merge all rural rehabilitation projects into one
68
What organisation arguably made the shortage of housing worse?
AAA by driving tenants / sharecroppers away from land by encouraging reduced crop acreage
69
Who led the Resettlement Administration?
Tugwell
70
What was Tugwell's ambition
500,000 families to be moved to 'greenbelt' sites
71
What did Tugwell's ambition require?
buying good land
encouraging families to move
teaching sustainable farming
72
How many families eventually moved under the Resettlement administration
only 4,400
73
How many greenbelt towns set up under Resettlement administration
3
74
A contradiction of the Resettlement Administration and the wider New Deal
other policies were attempting to help farmers retain their land
75
Was there more or less migration from farms in the 1930s than the 1920s?
less
76
DATE : Revenue Wealth Tax Act
1935
77
maximum tax on income over $50,000 rose to what, from what, due to the Wealth Tax Act
rose to 75%
| previously at 59%
78
What did newspaper tycoon Hearst see the wealth tax as?
"soak the successful"
79
What have historians seen the wealth tax as roosevelt doing?
attempting to 'steal huey's thunder"
80
How did big business intervene with the wealth tax act? X2
successfully had the federal inheritance tax defeated
corporation tax reduced to little more than symbolism
81
Who was the main fighters of the Wealth Tax Act who wanted none of it modified?
Lafollette of the Progressive Party
| demonstrated how FDR's policies were increasingly appeasing the left
82
What did the Wealth Tax act raise?
only $250million
83
What % of the population earned over $10,000? What did this suggest about the wealth tax?
only 1%
| tax of limited effectiveness
84
DATE: Wagner-Connery Act
July 1935
85
What did unions think of the Wagner Connery Act?
pleased that it provided secret ballot elections for union representation
86
What was Roosevelt's involvement with the Wagner-Connery Act?
not initiated by FDR
FDR only passed/considered it after it passed through senate and looked likely to become law
87
What did the Supreme Court consider the Wagner Connery Act as?
constitutional
88
What did the National Labour Relations Board give unions?
right to collective bargaining
89
Who challenged the National Labour Relations Board?
US Steel Corporation (unsuccessfully)
90
DATE : Public Utility Holding Company Act
August 1935
91
What had utility companies previously been doing?
charging consumers excessively since the holding-company structures at the top of the pyramids were making mass profit
92
Who was the Public Utility Holding Company Act popular with?
Pacific North West (power conscious)
93
What did the PUHCA suggest Roosevelt was?
with the public against 'bigness' (big business)
94
What region voted down the PUHCA?
East
| although the House approved the bill
95
Who was given control of financial transactions of holding companies in the PUHCA?
Securities Exchange Commission
96
What happened to any unqualified companies as of January 1st 1940?
eliminated by Securities Exchange Commission as part of the PUHCA
97
What did the Supreme Court demand of companies in relation to the PUHCA?
that they register with the Securities Exchange Commission
98
What did the PUHCA do for capitalism?
rid it of much exploitation (so strengthened it)
99
DATE : Social Security Act
August 1935
100
How were pensions under the SSA funded?
employer funded w/ employee contributions
101
How was unemployment insurance funded under the SSA?
payroll taxes
102
Apart form unemployment insurance and pensions what did the SSA provide?
aid to care for dependent mothers / children / disabled
103
Why did the left resent the SSA?
not as generous as Townsend's proposals
felt it did not go far enough
angry the wealthy did not have to contribute more
104
What did Conservatives claim that the SSA did?
violated American principles of self-help and individual responsibility
wanted to retain strong federalism, not determining how funds should be spent from Washington
105
What was the unemployment benefit under the SSA? How long could it be paid for?
$18weekly
| maximum of 16 weeks
106
What was the rate of monthly pensions under the SSA?
$10-$85
107
When were the first pensions paid out under the SSA?
1940
108
What was a criticism of the SSA in terms of payments?
system had to be self financing
you had to pay in to get out
(so not necessarily a form of relief, but rather security)
109
What was a problem with child benefits?
discrepancies between states
| still inefficiencies and ingrained federalism
110
Who was excluded from the SSA?
domestic workers and farmers
111
Who opposed the inclusion of health insurance within the SSA and was successful?
American Medical Association
112
What precedent did the SSA establish?
that every individual has clear social rights
113
What did the SSA in terms of it being self financing show about FDR?
still trying to maintain balanced budget, still a fiscal conservative
114
What was a disadvantage of allowing states to determine rates with the SSA? X2
- discrepancies between states
| - many states cut back on other relief schemes to fund unemployment benefits
115
When did Townsend reach his peak of popularity? What does this suggest?
post - SSA
| suggests many Americans felt the SSA did not go far enough and was inadequate
116
DATE : Guffey-Snyder Act
1935
117
Action : Guffey-Snyder Act
- re-enacted coal code
- guaranteed collective bargaining
- uniformed scales of wages / hours
118
What was the Guffey-Snyder Act influenced in its passing by?
United Mine Workers threatening a coal strike
119
What happened to the Guffey-Snyder Act in 1936?
found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
120
When did the Supreme Court find the Guffey-Snyder Act unconstitutional?
1936
121
What did Congress pass in 1937 to replace the Guffey-Snyder Act of 1935?
The Guffey-Vinson Act
122
What was the difference between the Guffey-Snyder and Guffey-Vinson act's?
The latter was the same except for not imposing wages / hours
123
DATE : Banking Act
August 1935
124
Purpose : Banking Act of 1935
intended to give Federal government control of US banking
125
Who was the Governor of the Federal Reserve Board at the time of the Banking Act's passing in 1935?
Eccles
126
What was Eccles opinion on Wall Street?
felt they had too much power
127
The Banking Act received much opposition, on what X3 points was there compromise on;
- Federal Reserve Banks could elect their own head (but needed Federal reserve board approval)
- rediscount decisions given to Fed Reserve Board
- banks must register w/ board + accept its authority in return for federal deposits
128
What did the Banking Act of 1935 mean for financial management?
largely removed from private to central government control
| aka moved from NY to Washington
129
DATE : Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenancy Act
1937
130
What did the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenancy Act set up?
Farm Security Administration
131
What was the action of the Farm Security Administration?
extended rehabilitation loans to farmers
132
What did rehabilitation loans to farmers as part of the Farm Security Administration allow farmers to do?
allowed selected tenants to buy family-sized arms on low interest
133
What was the Farm Security Administration hailed as in terms of who it helped?
the first agency to substantially benefit migrants / tenant farmers / sharecroppers
134
How much had the Farm Security Administration given out in loans by 1941?
$1billion +
135
Why was the Farm Security Administration unable to do anything on a large scale?
did not have representation in congress
much of who it aided had little political voice / were voteless
136
DATE : Franzier-Lemke Federal Farm Bankruptcy Act
passed in 1934
| renewed in 1938
137
Who was Lemke in the Federal Farm Bankruptcy Act?
A co-writer of the Act
| part of the radical left group the National Union for Social Justice
138
DATE : Minimum Wage
1938
139
When was the 40hr week established?
1938
140
What was the 1938 minimum wage set as?
25cents per hour
141
DATE : Wagner-steagall housing act
1937
142
What did the Wagner-Steagall Housing Act provide?
Federally subsidised housing projects
143
What was a key benefit of the W-S Housing Act apart form infrastructure?
site of vermin-free apartments + regeneration helped to build confidence
144
What was Roosevelt's support like for the W-S Housing Act?
very large
| made a key priority of the second term
145
What did the W-S Housing Act set up?
United States Housing Authority
146
What did the United States Housing Authority provide $$$ in loans for low-cost housing projects?
$500million
147
By end of 1940 how many housing projects were in progress or completed
only 500
148
By end of 1940 what was the value of loan contracts for housing project construction
$691million
149
What did FDR declare in his State of the Union Address about housing?
that it was part of a "Second Bill of Rights" "the right of every family to a decent home"
150
DATE : Sit downs ruled illegal by Supreme Court
1939
151
By 1940 the Federal Farm Mortgage Corporation (part of Farm Credit Act of 1933) had refinanced more than what % of all farm mortgages?
20%
152
By 1940 what was the value of farm mortgages that had been refinanced?
$6.5billion
153
On an average day the Farm Credit Administration saved how many farms from foreclosure?
300
154
DATE : Fair Employment Practices Committee
1941
155
How was the Fair Employment Practices Committee passed?
by signing of executive order
156
What was the influence of the Fair Employment Practices Committee?
little - had no enforcement powers
157
One key reason why employers reluctantly accepted unions and legislation to increase union organisation
considered unions more controllable than wildcat strikes
158
What do many historians see as the purpose of the change in direction of the new deal in terms of public perception of government
to present the government as acting via addressing issues and concerns
Second New Deal involved itself in everyday issues important to individuals
159
In the 7th year of the depression how many americans still had no employment
8million
160
Some of the acts and principles the 2nd new deal was passed on alienated business community - many now saw FDR as...
champion of people against 'economic royalists'
161
Who did Southern Democrats expect to dominate the government and economy?
whites
162
What did Southern Democrats insist on with many new deal programmes?
local administration
prioritisation of whites + business & exclusion of migration population e.g NIRA / AAA
163
Foner on the New Deal's importance
"made the government an institution directly experienced in Americans' daily lives and directly concerned with their welfare"
164
How many Americans had pensions prior to the New Deal>
How many had unemployment insurance?
How much was spent on relief pre 1930?
How much in 1930?
How much in 1939?
only 36,000
only 1,000
```
pre-1930 = 0
1930 = $9million
1939 = $479million + $480million unemployment
```
