Section A2 - American Experiences of The Depression and The New Deal Flashcards
What are the initials of NANSPETCHEF?
NIRA AAA NRA Scrapped prohibition PWA EBA TVA CCC HOLC EA FERA
What does NIRA stand for?
National Industrial Recovery Act
What does NRA stand for?
National Recovery Administration
What does FERA stand for?
Federal Emergency Relief Administration
What does AAA stand for?
Agricultural Adjustment Administration
What does PWA stand for?
Public Works Asministration
What does EBA stand for?
Emergency Banking Act
What does TVA stand for?
Tennessee Valley Authority
What does CCC stand for?
Civilian Conservation Corps
What does HOLC stand for?
Home Owners Loan Corporation
What does EA stand for?
Economy Act
What did the NIRA do?
Set up the PWA and CWA aimed to make industry strong again - CWA has 4 million workers
How many workers did the CWA have (set up by NIRA)
4 million
What was the opposition to the NIRA?
CWA was abolished in 1935 (republicans thought it was too much help) and replaced by PWA
What did the AAA do?
- Set quotas to reduce overproduction and raise prices
- Modern techniques taught to farmers
- Some farmers helped with mortgages
What was the opposition to the AAA?
Modernisation put farmers out of work and was contradictory (to quotas)
What did the NRA do?
- Improved working conditions and outlawed child labour
- Fixed wages, sensible production levels to stop overproduction
- Over 2 million employers joined the scheme and were awarded the Blue Eagle Badge
How many employers joined the NRA and what were they awarded?
Over 2 million joined and were awarded the Blue Eagle Badge
What was the opposition to the NRA?
Was seen as interfering too much - people thought it was against the law as the government was behaving like dictators - declared unconstitutional (employers were used to laissez faire so were unhappy - Ford stopped supporting the NRA)
Who stopped supporting the NRA?
Ford
What did scrapping prohibition mean for America?
A lot of money could be made through taxing the makers and distributors of alcohol
However it was unpopular with religious and rural communities
What did the PWA do?
- Used governments money to build schools, bridges, airports and dams (e.g. Grand Coulee Dam)
- Millions of short term jobs ($3 billion spent)
How much was spent on the PWA?
Over $3 billion
Give an example of something built through the PWA?
Grand Coulee Dam
What was the opposition to the PWA?
- Costly for tax payers
- Republicans thought it was too much help and anti rugged individualism
What did the EBA do?
Closed all banks and reopened 5000 trustworthy banks with regulations to stop reckless speculation
What was the opposition to the EBA?
Some banks were not able to reopen - seen as too much government interference
What did the TVA do?
- Built a series of dams (on Tennessee Valley prone to drought and flooding) to irrigate the land, control water flow and provide jobs (building)
- Dams used for hydroelectricity e.g. the Fontana Dam
Give an example of a dam made through the TVA that produced hydroelectricity?
The Fontana Dam
What was the opposition to the TVA?
Small electricity companies put out of business as could not compete
What did the CCC do?
- Mostly environmental projects in National Parks (e.g. tree planting) aimed at young unmarried men 18-25 - signed up for 6 months at a time
- Earned $30 a month - many sent $25 back to families
- 2.5 million helped with this scheme
How many people did the CCC help (provide jobs to)?
2.5 million
How much did people working for the CCC own?
$30 a month - many sent $25 back to families
What was the opposition to the CCC?
Costly for tax payers
Money sent home was not spent due to lack of confidence
Republicans thought it was too much help and anti rugged individualism
What did the HOLC do?
Helped home owners pay mortgages
Saved 20% of home owners between 1933-1936
How many people did the HOLC help?
Saved 20% of home owners in 3 years
When was The First New Deal introduced?
1933
What was the opposition to the HOLC?
Costly for tax payers
Too much help
What did the EA do?
Reduced government expenditure by cutting government employee pay by 15%
By how much were government employee wages cut in the EA?
15% (including the president himself)
What was the opposition to the EA?
Upset the people who had their wages cut and gave them less to spend:(
What did FERA do?
$500 million given to individual states to pay for soup kitchens, blankets, employment schemes and nursery schools - led by Harry Hopkins who gave $5 million in the first 2 hours of setting up the agency
How much money was given to individual states to pay for soup kitchens, blankets etc in the FERA?
$500 million
Who set up the FERA and how much did he give to the agency?
Harry Hopkins - $5 millimetres n in the first 2 hours of setting up the agency
What was the opposition to the FERA?
Costly for tax payers
Republicans thought it was too much help and anti rugged individualism
What impact did the first 100 days have on the USA?
- Restored confidence but progress was slow (and short term) so FDR proposed agencies for long term relief and change
- PWA and AAA declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
When was The Second New Deal introduced?
June 1935
What does the WPA stand for? (2nd)
Works Progress Administration
What does the RA stand for? (2nd)
Resettlement Administration
What does the FSA stand for? (2nd)
Farm Security Administration
What does the REA stand for? (2nd)
Rural Electrification Administration
What does the SSA stand for? (2nd)
Social Security Acts
What does the NLRA stand for? (2nd)
National Labour Relations Act
What does the SCA stand for? (2nd)
Soil Conservation Act
What did the WPA do? (2nd)
Provided 8 million jobs in 8 years
Provided employment schemes in many areas (building hospitals, schools, roads etc - also non building jobs e.g. acting, art, photography)
How many jobs did the WPA provide?
8 million in 8 years
What was the opposition to the WPA? (2nd)
Unemployment levels still relatively high - 6 million by 1941
How many people were unemployed by 1941?
6 million
What did the RA do?
Helped 500,000 families in drought hit areas to resettle on better land
How many families did the RA help?
500,000
What did the FSA do?
Replaced the RA in 1937
Photographic project took over 80,000 photos of farmland
Loaned $1 billion to farmers to help them in the depression
Camps set up for migrant workers
How many photos were taken of farmland in the FSA?
80,000
How much money was loaned to farmers during the depression and through which agency?
Over $1 billion - FSA
What did the REA do?
Provided financial aid to private companies to supply electricity to areas without it
What did the SSA do?
Provided financial help to the sick and disabled, pensions for the elderly and widows benefits for victims of industrial accidents, aid for single mothers and children, the blind and physically disabled, set up employment schemes where workers made weekly contributions
What did the NLRA do?
(replaced NRA)
Stated that all employers must allow unions
What did the SCA do?
(replaced AAA)
Introduced soil subsidies:)
What were the main arguments opposing The New Deal?
- it was not doing enough
- it was interfering too much
- it was unconstitutional
Who thought the New Deal was not doing enough?
Long, Townsend and Coughlin
What did Long want instead of the New Deal?
“Share our wealth scheme” - reducing personal fortunes to $3 million - income max of $1 million per year
What happened to Long in 1935?
He was assassinated:(
What did Townsend want instead of the New Deal?
$200 pensions per month as long as money was spent to stimulate the economy (his ideas faded in importance)
What did Coughlin want instead of the New Deal?
He used his radio broadcast to attack FDR and set up the National Union for Social Justice (faded in importance)
Who thought the New Deal was interfering too much?
Republicans
How was it suggested that the New Deal was interfering too much?
- Too many boondoggles (e.g. pigeon scaring)
- Government behaving like socialists/communists by supporting trade unions etc
- Too many regulations
- People being lazy - anti rugged individualism
- High taxes discouraged the rich from working hard
- Agencies ended private enterprise (e.g. TVA crushes small businesses)
What did Republicans do to stop FDR in response to the New Deal?
Spread rumours that he was crippled due to an STD (not Polio) in order to beat him in the 1936 elections (however he won biggest majority in US history)
Took over the Senate in 1938 and blocked further New Deal legalisation
What did FDR famously say during the 1936 election?
“Everyone is against the New Deal except the voters”
Who thought the New Deal was unconstitutional?
The Supreme Court (mostly Republicans)
Which organisations were closed down by the Supreme Court? (They were “unconstitutional”)
AAA, NRA and PWA “undermining state laws and too much control”