the 1930s: depression and the new deal Flashcards
1
Q
when was the Wall Street crash?
A
October 1929
2
Q
when was Roosevelt elected president?
A
1933
3
Q
when was the first new deal?
A
1933-34
4
Q
what did the FERA do?
A
- the federal emergency relief administration tackled the urgent needs of the poor
- $500 million was spent on soup kitchens, blankets, employment schemes and nursery schools
5
Q
what did the CCC do?
A
- the civilian conservation corps was aimed at unemployed young men
- they could sign on for a period of six months, which could be renewed if they could still not find work
- around 2.5 million people were helped by this scheme
6
Q
what did the AAA do?
A
- the agricultural adjustment administration tried to tackle the long-term problems facing farmers
- it set quotas to reduce farm production to force prices gradually upwards
- helped farmers modernise and use farming methods that would conserve the soil
- farmers were also given help with their mortgages
7
Q
what did the PWA do?
A
- the public works administration used government money to build schools, roads, bridges and airports
- these would be vital once the USA had recovered, and in the short-term they created millions of jobs
8
Q
what did the NRA do?
A
- the national recovery administration improved conditions in industry and outlawed child labour
- it also set out fair wages and sensible levels of production to stimulate the economy by giving workers money to spend, without overproducing and causing a slump
- over 2 million employers joined the scheme
9
Q
what did the TVA do?
A
- the Tennessee valley authority built a series of dams on the Tennessee river
- these transformed the region, bringing water to the dried-out land
- they also provided electricity for this underdeveloped area
- building the dams also created thousands of jobs in an area badly hit by the depression
10
Q
when was the second new deal introduced?
A
1935
11
Q
when was the revenue act?
A
1935
12
Q
what did the revenue act do?
A
introduced a 79 per cent tax on incomes over $5 million
13
Q
when was the undistributed profits act?
A
1936
14
Q
what did the undistributed profits act do?
A
brought in taxes on business
15
Q
what did the Wagner act do?
A
- forced employers to allow trade unions in their companies and to let them negotiate pay and conditions
- it made it illegal to sack workers for being in a union
16
Q
what did the social security act do?
A
- provided state pensions for the elderly and for widows
- allowed state governments to work with the federal government to provide help for the sick and the disabled
- set up a scheme for unemployment insurance
17
Q
what did the WPA do?
A
- the works progress administration brought together all the organisations whose aim was to create jobs
- also extended this work beyond building projects to create jobs for office workers and even unemployed actors, artists and photographers
18
Q
what did the RA do?
A
- the resettlement administration helped smallholders and tenant farmers who had not been helped by the AAA
- this organisation moved over 500,000 families to better-quality and housing
19
Q
what did the FSA do?
A
- the farm security administration replaced the RA in 1937
- gave special loans to small farmers to help them buy their land
- it also built camps to provide decent living conditions and jobs for migrant workers
20
Q
who were some of the key critics who argued that the new deal was not doing enough?
A
Huey Long, Dr Francis Townsend and Father Coughlin
21
Q
who were some of the key critics who argued that the new deal was doing too much?
A
republicans and sections of the business community
22
Q
state some of the arguments for the new deal doing too much
A
- the new deal was complicated and there were too many regulations that hampered businesses
- Roosevelt was behaving like a dictator and the new deal schemes were too like the economic plans being carried out in the communist USSR and were unsuitable for the democratic, free-market USA
- schemes such as the TVA created unfair competition for private companies
- high taxes discouraged people from working hard and gave money to people for doing nothing or doing unnecessary jobs
23
Q
state some of the arguments for the new deal not doing enough
A
24
Q
describe the new deal’s impact on unemployment and the economy
A
- the new deal created millions of jobs and stabilised the US banking system; it cut the number of business failures
- however, the new deal never solved the underlying economic problems
- confidence remained low throughout the 1930s and there were still 6 million unemployed in 1941
25
describe the new deal's impact for African Americans
- around 200,000 African Americans gained benefits from the CCC, other new deal agencies and relief programmes
- many African Americans benefitted from new deal slum clearance and housing projects
- however, there was still racial segregation in the CCC, mortgages were not given to black families in white neighbourhoods
- more black workers were unemployed, 35 per cent living on relief in 1935, but they were much less likely to be given jobs
26
how did the government/Hoover respond to the Great Depression?
- Hoover tried to restart the economy in 1930 and 1931 by implementing tax cuts
- He tried to persuade business leaders not to cut wages because that would lead to lower spending and reduce demand
- He set up the Reconstruction Finance Company, which propped up banks to stop them going bankrupt
- He put money into public works programs such as the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River
- Hoover raised taxes, the revenue act of 1932 doubled the rate of tax paid by the richest one percent of the population
