USA Depth Study Flashcards
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> USA had a growing population
123 million people by 1923 -> USA had a ‘Open door policy’ meaning entry to country was made as easy as possible and thus resulted in over 49 million immigrants (mainly from Europe) by 1919
- Most living in towns and cities -> working in industry and commerce (higher wages than fatming)
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The first world war: isolationalism
Americans tried to stay out of fighting and lent money to the Allies (to be repaid with large interest rates) and sold arms and munitions to France aswell as massive amounts of foodstuffs -> this one-way trade gave American industry a real boost
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The first world war: Countries in Europe
Busy fighting and so Americans were able to take over Europe’s trade around the world -> increasing America’s exports ($600 million in exports and $300 million in imports)
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The first world war: Before WWI
Germany was the most succseful in chemical industries -> by the end of war the US had outstripped German production
-1927: Us produced 42% of world’s chemcical and Germany 16%
-USA had the main explosive manufacturer during the war + producer of plastics (Bakelite) and other new materials
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> Construction: industrial growth
Created a demand for new factories and the office building as number of banks, insurance and advertising companies, and showroom for cars and new electrical products, grew rapidly
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> Construction: increasing number of cars
People employed in building roads -> by 1930 miles of paved road doubled
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> Construction: skyscrapers
Sign of confidence from big companies -> demonstrated power and prestige
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> Construction: growth in health
Construction of hospitals, schools and other public buildings
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The policies of republican presidents (4)
- Laissez-faire
- Protective tariffs
- Low taxation
- Powerful trusts
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The policies of republican presidents: laissez-faire
Allwoed big businesses to expand without limits of governemnt intervention
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The policies of republican presidents: protective tariffs
Made imports more expensive compared to American-made goods -> protected business against foreign competition and allowed American companies to grow even more rapidly
- In 1922: Harding introduced Fordney-McCunber tarif which made imported food expensive in the US
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The policies of republican presidents: low taxation
Lowered taxes on income and company tarifs -> gave wealthy more money to invest in American industry and building + gave people more money to spend on American goods
- In 1925: top tax rate just -> 25% -> 65% in 1920
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> The policies of republican presidents: powerful trusts
Super-huge corporations which dominated industry -> republicans gave trusts freely saying ‘captains of industries’ knew better than politicians
- Woodrow Wilson and democrats: foought against trusts -> thought it was unhealthy for men such as Carneige (steel) and Rockefeller (oil) to have almost complete control of one vital sector of industry
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> New industries
By 1929: nearly 70% of all Americans had electric lights -> electricity consumed doubled in 1920s
The electrification of US:
Flush lavatories: 20% in 1920 -> 51% in 1930
Vacuum cleaners: 9% in 1920 -> 30% in 1930
Washing machines: 8% in 1920 -> 24% in 1930
Refrigerators: 1% in 1920 -> 8% in 1930
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> the car: 1900s
In 1900: only 4000 cars made -> slowly by blacksmiths and very expenisve
Henry ford Model T car:
- In 1913: set up world’s first moving production line -> Model T made in 1h33m
- In 1927: Model T of the production line at a rate of one every ten seconds
. More than 15 million produced between 1908 and 1928 -> most succesful car of all time
- 1908 price $850 -> 1925 price: $290
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> the car: by the end of the 1920s
The motor industry was the USA’s biggest industry -> employed thousands of people and kept workers in other industries in employment
- Glass (75%), leather (65%), steel (20%) and rubber (80%) were needed to build them -> petrol was needed to run them (90%)
. One car to five people: this was high compared with one to 43 in Britain -> this allowed people in US to buy house in suburbs (further boosted economy)
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> mass consumption
Cars: 1919 -> 9 million and 1929 -> 26 million
Radios: 1920 -> 60,000 and 1929 -> 10 million
Telephone: 1915 -> 10 million and 1930 -> 20 million
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> mass consumption: mass advertising
Advertisers had skills learnt from wartime propaganda -> setup agencies to sell cars, cigarettes, clothing and other consumer goods using poster and radio advertisements
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> mass consumption: Mail-ordering companies
Americans in remote areas could buy new consumer goods from catalogues -> by 1928 nearly 1/3 of Americans bought goods from Sears, Roebuck and company catalogue
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> mass consumption: higher purchase
Easier for people to buy goods as it meant the consumer could buy and pay later -> by 1929 $7 billion worth was bough on credit
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> mass consumption: chain stores
Same shop selling same products across US (eg. JCpenney)
On what factors was the economic boom based? -> confidence
Confidence amongst americans was sky high -> buy goods, invest in companies and try out new ideas
. Stock market: shares and stock prices continued to rise and ordinary people even bought shares on the Margin -> Bethlehem steel invested $157 million in stock market
Why did some industries prosper while others did not? -> Problems in farming industry: Declining exports, new competitors, overproduction, falling prices
Total US farm income dropped $22 billion in 1919 to $13 billion in 1928
. Declining exports: after the war, Europe imported less food from the US -> Europe poor + response to US tariffs
. New competitors: struggling against highly efficient Canadian wheat producers
. Overproduction: from 1900-1920 while farming was doing well more and more land was being farmed, and improved machinery (combine harvester) and improved fertilisers, made US agriculture very efficient -> by 1920 producing surpluses of wheat nobody wanted
. Falling prices:
- 1921: most farm prices fell by 50% -> bushel of wheat went from $183 in 1920 to $0.38 in 1929
- 1920s: hundreds of rural banks collapsed -> 5x as many bankruptcies as there had been in 1900s and 1910s + by 1924 600,000 farmers bankrupt
-> NOT ALL FARMERS affected by these problems (minority): rich Americans wanted fresh vegetables and fruit -> shipments to lettuce to cities rose from 14,000 crates in 1920 to 52,000 in 1928
Why did some industries prosper while others did not? -> problems in traditional industry: unemployment
Same number of people unemployed at peak of boom in 1929 as in 1920, yet amounts of goods produced doubled -> industry growing by electrification of mechanising production
Why did some industries prosper while others did not? -> problems in traditional industry: coal
. Overproduction: reduced price of coal therefore profits
. Losing to new power sources like electricity and oil: some still used coal to generate electricity -> new generating technology was highly efficient so it didn’t need much coal to produce electricity (eg. improved boilers gave users same amaount of heat with less coal)
. In 1928: strike in coal industry in North Carolina -> male workers paid only $18 and women $9 for a 70 hour week when $48 per week was considered minimum for decent life
Why did some industries prosper while others did not? -> problems in traditional industry: textiles
. Tariffs:protected from competition -> market still wasn’t growing and profits were generally declining
. Competition: industries that used new man-made materials like Rayon
Why did some industries prosper while others did not? -> problems in traditional industry: Chicago in 1920s
One of America’s biggest citie: centre of the steel, meat and clothing industries -> employed many unskilled workers
. Only 3% of semi-skilled workers owned a car -> 29% in richer areas
. Low confidence: workers there didn’t want to buy with their credit -> preferred to save money in case they lost their jobs
. Poor whites: didn’t use chain stores -> preferred local grocer’s where owners were more flexible and gave the credit
Roaring 20s: jazz, clubs and dancing
Success of jazz music: improvement in status of women and black people
. African American musicians: Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith -> much racism still as Bessie suffered an accident and wasn’t treated in white only hospital (died)
. New dances: swing and charleston
. Most famous Jazz club: cotton club in New York
Roaring 20s: sports and crazes
. Baseball and boxing: most spectated sports
- Babe ruth: best baseball player of his time -> earned over $2,000,000
- In 1926: 145,000 people watched boxing match between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney
. Landmarks built: Yankee stadium and Madison square garden
,. Large companie: financed with sponsorships -> in 1928 Coca Cola sponsored olympic games
Roaring 20s: radio
By 1930: 40% of all homes in the USA had radio set
. Spred new ideas: people in small town and remote areas
. Increased consumer goods: advertisement of consumer goods
. Live radio: covered boxing and baseball matches
Roaring 20s: cinema
Main form of entertainment -> by 1926 17,000 cinemas
. First blockbuster movie: The birth of a nation -> made $60 million
. Ticket sales: from 40 million/week (1920) to 100 million (1930) -> cheap (25 cents or less)
. Major movie companies: paramount, warner brothers and MGM
. Hollywood: developed as centre of film industry instead of NY -> in 1928 it introduced the Oscars
Roaring 20s: newspapers and magazines
Newspapers:
. Summarized the week’s new -> sports, fashion, crime stories, advertising
. Daily news tabloid: first tabloid ever published in 1919
Magazines:
. Emergence of flappers
. Bug source of advertising
. In 1922: 10 magazines claimed circulation of over 2.5 million
Intolerance in America 1920s: Women -> examples of intolerance/discrimination: politics, work, home lige, flappers
. Politics: women still didn’t have political power -> less than 1% of congress made of women 1920
. Work: women paid less than men even with same job -> cheaper employees paid 1/2 than men
. Home life: women expected to fulfill all house labour -> especially middle-class, married women
. Flappers: only minority -> especially in rural areas where they were shocked by this + in some states women would be arrested if seen as note very covered up
Intolerance in America 1920s: Women -> Reaction? Change?
. New labour saving deviced: vacuum cleaners and coal fires -> less time spent on domestic chores
. 10 million women employed in 1929 ->24% more than in 1921
. Social restrictions weakened: waistless knee length, lightweight dresses, makeup, drinking/smoking in public -> flappers
. 19th Amendment (1920): women right to vote
. Marriage: less likely to stay in unahppy marriages -> in 1914 there were 100,000 divorces and in 1929 there were twice as many
Intolerance in America 1920s: communists and socialists -> examples of intolerance/discrimination
. Bolshevik seized power in Russia (1917): Americans feared new immigrants would spread radical ideas like anarchsima nd communism -> Red scare
. Strikes (1919): 3600 strikes involving over 400,000 workers convinced many communist were to balme
. Plamer’s house bombed: plamer drew a list os suspected communists -> 556 deportes as ilegal ‘aleins’ + 4000-6000 arrested in 36 cities
. Two Italian anrachists: Sacco and Vanzetti charged with murder after armed robbery -> no real evidcene against them, trial focused more on their radical ideas (stirring up racial intolerance)
. Press: bombings were evidence of widespread communists takeover plot
Intolerance in America 1920s: immigrants -> examples of intolerance/discrimination (4)
Over 8 million immigrants to USA 1901-1910 -> created competition for jobs causing resentment from Americans + fear of communism (Russian Revolution)
. Literacy test (1917): foreigners wishing to enter USA took literacy test to prove they could read understand English -> couldn’t afford lessons and so failed
. Emergency Quota act (1921): limit of 357,000 immigrants per year
. National Origins act (1924): designed to penalise immigrants from Eastern/Southern Europe -> number of immigrants reduced to 150,000 per year
. Immigration acts (1929): banned Asian immigration + by 1930 immigration from China, Japan and Eastern Europe has disappeared
Intolerance in America 1920s: African Americans -> examples of intolerance/discrimination
. Jim Crow Laws: set of rules introduced 1865 to control black people’s freedom as a result of fear of their growimg power -> segregation from whites in schools, parks, hospitals
. KKK: WASPS fought against communists, blacks, jews, catholics and foreigners -> carried out lynching + continuous violence against blacks
. Worse off than whites: blacks couldn’t vote, denied access to jobs and education + suffered tremendous poverty
. Tulsa race massacre: bombing of Black Wall Street (very succesful)
Intolerance in America 1920s: African Americans -> Reaction? Change?
. In Chicago and NY: growing middle class population who used their power to bring change
. NAACP and UNIA: campaigned to end racial segregation laws against lynching
. Many block cultural icons: Paul Robeson (singer) and Countee Cullen (poet)
. KKK: discredited after scandal involving ‘The Grand Dragon’ of the Indiana Clan, Stephenson
. Life expectancy for blacks: increased from 45 to 48 by 1930
Intolerance in America 1920s: Native Americans -> examples of intolerance/discrimination
Native Americans disappeared as ethnic group during 19th century -> from 1.5 million to 250,000
. Children: sent to special boarding schools to educate white American culture -> little education opportunities
. Major survey: showed extreme poverty -> lower life expectancy worse health and poorly paid jobs
. Many forced to abandon traditions and ancestral lands -> settled in white communists where they faced much discrimination
Intolerance in America 1920s: Native Americans -> Reaction? Change?
. WW1: 17,000 NAs fought for USA which resulted in newfound respect from white Americans -> granted citizenship and allowed to vote in 1924
. Meriam reoport: stated that Native American schools were underfunded and understaffed and run too harshly -> recommended Native Americans should be provided with the skills and Eduaction for life
Intolerance in America 1920s: Religious activists -> examples of intolerance/discrimination
1910-29: growing divide between conservative rural areas and modern city culture of urban America -> South and midwest ‘Bible belt’
. Christian fundamentalists:
- Believed everything from Bible was exactly true (world amde in 7 days) and so there should be no teaching about Charles Darwin’s evolution theory -> In 1925 teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution was banned in 6 states
- Criticised the lifestyle of people in the cities like flappers and jazz singers
Intolerance in America 1920s: Religious activists -> Reaction? Change?
Monkey trial: arguments introduced in trial by John Scopes ide (teacher who taught evolution breaking anti-evolution law and fined $100) weakened anti-evolution lobby and exposed modernist ideas
Intolerance in America 1920s: Prohibition -> examples of intolerance/discrimination
Prohibition: period of time when it was ilegal to make, sell or transport alcoholic drinks in the US -> between 1920 (Volstead Act passed defining intoxicating liquor as anything containing more than 0.5% alcohol) by 1935
. Temperance movement: most members were devout Christians who saw alcohol as the foot of sin and evil + the main cause to damaged family life -> biggest movements were the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and the Anti-Saloon league
. Drinkers viewed as unpatriotic: wheat better used to feed soldiers + many American breweries run by German immigrants
Intolerance in America 1920s: Prohibition -> Reaction? Change?
. Organised crime: gangsters such as Al Capone in Chicago made over $2 billion selling moonshine to speakeasies (by 1930 over 30,000 speakeasies in NY) -> led to violence between rival gangs
. St Valentine’s day masacre (1929): 7 people murdered on orders of Al Capone -> people showed the level of violence and corruption Prohibition had caused and turned against prohibition
. Great depression: legalising alcohol would create more jobs and money + governement coukd get taxes from alcohol + brewing industry could create jobs again
The causes of the wall street crash 1929: overproduction
Companies were making more consumer good than they could sell -> prices fell and unemployment rose
The causes of the wall street crash 1929: trade
USA wasn’t able to sell surplus goods to other countries -> especially Europe (very bug market) who:
. Owed: huge amounts of money in war loans to US
. Set: own tariffs in response to high tariffs set by US on imported goods (Fordney McCumber)
The causes of the wall street crash 1929: poverty
New-found wealth of 1920s: wasn’t shared by everyone -> nearly 50% of American families had an income of less than $2000/year
. Low earners (farmers, new immigrants, blacks and workers in old industries): couldn’t buy consumer goods -> decreasing market for companies
. Personal income: 1/3 earned by top 5% of wealthy americans
The causes of the wall street crash 1929: speculation on the stock market
People became involved in the stock market without understanding it (speculation) buying stocks and shares on ‘the margin’ (borrowed money from banks) -> pushing share prices up
-> In 1929: small investors’ shares became worthless and couldn’t oay back loans to the banks after the complete collapse of prices -> thousands of investors lost millions of dollars
The effects of the depression -> immediate effects: Black tuesday
. 29th October 1929: 16 milion shares sold as prices plummet -> sold at fraction of their original price as value of all shares had dropped by $40,000 million by the end of 1929
The effects of the depression -> immediate effects: large speculators and very wealthy
. They lost huge amounts
. Rockefeller: lost 80% of his wealth
. Churchill: lost over $500,000 after the crash
. Vanderbilts: lost $40 million
The effects of the depression -> immediate effects: banks
During 1929-1932: over 5000 banks out of business -> banks of US and NYC goes under with 400,000 depositors
The effects of the depression -> unemployment
By 1933: 14 million Americans unemployed
. Average hourly wage in manufacturing industries: fell from 59 cents in 1926 to 44 cents in 1933
The effects of the depression -> homelessness
. By 1932: 1/4 of a million americans homeless
. Hoovervilles: many built homes on wasteland
. Salvation army: charity which gave hand-outs to homeless
The effects of the depression -> falling economic output
Factories cut production -> couldn’t sell abroad or to Americans (poor)
. By 1932: industrial production in USA was half that of 1929
. Car production: cut by 80%
. Road and building construction: fell by 92%
The effects of the depression -> the countryside
. Farmers hit especially hard: couldn’t sell goods -> prices is so low it wasn’t worth harvesting crops
. Dust bowl (1930-36): Sout and midwest suffered serious drought -> 20 million hectares of land became a desert + farmers ruined
The effects of the depression -> bonus army
In 1932: 20,000 unemployed soldiers set up a Hooverville in Washington to ask for their war pension (“bonus’ to be paid early) -> Hoover set the army on them and 2 veterans were killed, 100 were injured and a baby died of tear gas poisoning
The effects of the depression -> Not everyone suffered: The rich
On the whole the very rich stayed rich -> multi-millionaire Rockefeller held his wealth in assets such as gold and property
The effects of the depression -> Not everyone suffered: new industries
. Such as films, electronics and airplanes
. They continued to expand and pay high wages
The effects of the depression -> Not everyone suffered: those who kept their jobs
Better off because of low prices
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> failure of republican policies during depression: Rugged individualism + Laissez faire
Americans wanted to help an support from government and no economic help from federal governement to poor and unemployed received -> thought it was the charities jobs yet these didn’t have money
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> failure of republican policies during depression: Hoovervilles
Nickname given to shanty towns where it’s estimated several hundred thousand people acroos US live in -> name given after President Hoover known as ‘do nothing’ president
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> failure of republican policies during depression: Hoover’s attempts were failing
Hoover cuts taxes by $130 million + created jobs by building Hoover Dam -> Americans believed his efforts were too weak and started to lose hope and confidence
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> failure of republican policies during depression: Bonis army
Convinced American people that Hoover didn’t care
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> Democrat strengths: Policies (5)
Democrat policies:
. Active Government
. Spend money to get people back to work
. Measures to revive industry and agriculture
. Relief for the poor and unemployed people
. Protection for workers against irresponsible employers
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> Democrat strengths: other strengths (4 and his character)
. Roosvelt had experience: developed programmes to help deal with Depression when he was Governer of NY
. Support: from farmers, workers and immigrants
. People wanted change: Roosevelt offered ‘New Deal’
. Effective democrat campaign: Whistle-stop tour of country by train -> convinced people that he understood their problems
FDR character:
- Had charm, energy and optimism
- Able to communicate with ordinary people
- Wasn’t afraid to ask for advice from experts
Why did FDR win the 1932 election? -> Results
Overwhelming victory
. 57% voted for Roosvelt and 40% for Hoover -> FDR had majority in both senate and Congress
The new deal: Aims -> three R’s
Relief: Relieve poverty and feed starving and stop people losing homes
Recovery: revive economy
Reform: Make USA a better place to live: unemployment insurance, old age pensions and help sick and disabled
The first new deal: The hundred days (6)
First new deal: 1933-34 -> dealt with effects of depression through relief and recovery
The hundred days
‘Brain trusts’: were his advisors with whom he worked during his first 100 days of presidency
. Emergency bank act: all banks closed for a ‘four day bank holiday’ + 5000 trustworthy banks reopened -> restored confidence in banks
. Securities exchange comission: set up rules and regulations to prevent speculation
. ‘Fireside chats’: explained to Americans what he was doing and why -> 60 million Americans turned in
. Beer act: end of prohibition -> many americans more cheerful + more businesses and employment
. Set up ‘Alphabet Agencies’
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: FCA
Farm credit administratiom
Aim: Loans for 1/5 of all farmers
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: AAA (succeses and failures)
Agricultural Adjustment Agency
Aim: paid farmers to cut produce
Successes:
. Prices went up
. Farmers incomes doubles
. Livestock killed given to poor
. 50% better off under AAA
Failures:
. Cotton farmers ploughed 10 million acres already planted
. In 1933: 6 million piglets killed
. Modernisation: less jobs
. Didn’t help many tenants and sharecroppers
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: NRA (succeses , 5)
National Recovery Administration
Aim: Increase workers’ wages, increase prices of factory goods and give workers a fairer deal in workplace
Successes:
. Limited workers’ hours
. Set minimum wages
. Forbade child labour
. Workers were given right to join trade unions
. Publicity campaigns encouraged people to buy
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: CCC (successes and failures)
Civilian Conservation corps
Aim: jobs to single men under 25
Successes:
. Young men got food + clothing
. Most of their small wages ($1 a day) sent home for parents
Failures:
. During 1933-42: only 3 million people toom part
. Some said it was cheap labour -> it wasn’t compulsory
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: CWA
Civilian Works Administration
Aim: short term scheme -> work to as many people as possible
Successes:
. During winter 1933-34: 4 million employed
. Gave poeple something to do
Failures:
. ‘Boondoggles’: pointless jobs
. Cheaper to just give money
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: PWA
Public Works administration
Aim: public works of real and lasting value
Successes:
. During 1933-39: built 70% of America’s schools and 35% of it’s hospitals
. Created 600,000 jobs
. Built landmarks: San Francisco’s Golden Bridge
Failures:
. $7 billion spent employing skilled men
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: FERA
Federal emergency relief administration
Aim: $500 million to help homeless, peniless and starving
Successes:
. Increased number of soup kitchens
. Provided clothing, school and employment schemes
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: HOLC
Home owners Loan coorporation
Aim: loaned money to over 1 million -> prevented them losing homes/farms
The first new deal: Alpahbet agencies: TVA
Tenessee Valley Authority
Aim: develop Tennesse Valley (poverty stricken, vast area over seven states) -> build dams on Tenesse river
Successes:
. Electrical power to underdeveloped areas
. 21 dams producing 3.2 billion kilowatts of electricity/year
. Lakes were long (1000km), wide and deep -> water transport
. 30,000 jobs created
The second new deal
1934-38 -> aimed at reforming American society and improving conditions
The second new deal: WPA
Work progress administration -> 1935
Aim: bring together all organisations whose aims were to create jobs
Effect:
. Jobs for office workers, actors, artists and photographers
. Work to 2 million/year
. Built 11,000 schools, 70,000km of new roads + La Guardia airport in New York
The second new deal: Social security acts
1935
Aim:
. State pension over 65
. Support disabled people and mothers with dependant kids
. Unemployment insurance from individual states + governemnt
Effect:
. If worker unemployed would receive a small amount to help them until they found work
The second new deal: Wagner act
1935
Aim: support workers who wanted to form unions and to prevent sacking of union members
Effect:
. Ilegal stock workers in union
. Tarde unions gained more power + employers had to listen to them
The second new deal: Resettlement Administration (1935) + Farm security administration (1937)
Aim:
. RA: help smallholders and tenant farmers who were not helped by AAA
. FSA: special loans to small farmers to help them buy their land + built camps
Effect:
. Moved over 500,000 families to better-quality land and housing
. Migrant farm workers living in better conditions
Opposition to new deal: Republicans -> doing too much
. FDR behaviour: like a dictator making the government too powerful -> compared to Hitler and stalin
. TVA and NRA schemes: like communist economic planning of USSR
. Social securit act: undermined the American way of life -> made people lazy and dependant on governemnt help
. Money: wasted -> WPA was paying people to do unncessary jobs
Opposition to new deal: Big businesses -> doing too much (eg heny ford)
. Active government: didn’t like governemnt interference in affairs
. Angry: FDR’s support for trade unions + campaign to raise wages + paying social security contributions for their workers
. TVA: competed unfairly with privately owned businesses
. Criticised all codes and regulations for NRA and other agencies: confusing and difficult to administer
. In 1934: business owners formed Liberty League to oppose ND
Opposition to new deal: The rich -> doing too much
. Higher taxes: resented having to pay more for work of new deal agencies
. FDR policies: taken away some of their power
Opposition to new deal: The supreme court
. 1935: Nira was unconstitutional -> constitution didn’t allow the president to set laws controlling business
-> E.G the case of ‘Sick Chickens’ -> diseased chickens sold (broke NRA code) yet supreme court said NRA had no right to get in middle of business
. 1936: AAA was unconstitutional -> regulations about agriculture could only be made by individual states and not by central governement
Opposition to new deal: Huey Long -> doing too little
Huey Long: 1928 Governer of Louisiana (poor southern state) -> increased taxes for rich + used money to build infrastructure
WHY?
. ‘Share our wealth’ scheme: wanted all personal fortunes of over $5 million to be confiscated and the money shared out -> every American family should be given between $4000 and $5000
. Also promised: minimum wage, houses for war veterans, pensions and completely free educatiom
Opposition to new deal: Father Charles Coughlin -> doing too little
Father Charles Coughling: supported Roosevelt in beggining of ND -> turned to attack for not doing enough for poor
WHY?
. Broadcats ideas: on radio -> 40 million Americans on Sunday evenings
. National Union for Social Justice: attracted millions of members from all over America -> ideas were rather confused and his audience had largely faded
Opposition to new deal: Doctor Francis Townsend -> doing too little
People over 60 should get pension of $200/month (had to spend money during month + give up their jobs) -> provides jobs for young people, creates demands for goods + help neglected elderly (7000 townsend clubs’ across USA)
Opposition to new deal: Roosevelt fights back
. American people were with him -> (1936) he won 27 million voted in the elections
. Wanted to ‘pack’ the Supreme court: put more sympathetic younger people (6 of judges over 70) into supreme court -> much opposition (FDR having too much power)
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> American people as a whole: success (6)
. Social security acts: pensions for elderly and widows + state helped sick and disabled
. Restored confidence in governemnt
. Governemnt helped poeple + helped economy recover
. Very minimal corruption
. Stablisied banking system
. Invested hugely in infrastructure: roads, schools, etc
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> American people as a whole: failure
. Divided Americans: republicans and democrats
. Confidence remained low: 75% of 1920s levels
. Recession: in 1937-38
. US society remained very unequal: large gap between rich and poor
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> Industrial workers: success
NRA & Wagner act strengthened trade unions
. Powerdul unions improved conditions
. UAW revognised by car makers
. 7 million trade union member by 1939
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> Industrial workers: failure
. Unions still treated with great suspicion by employers
. In 1930: many strikes broken upon with brutal violence
. Large corporations: employed ‘heavies’ to deal with union leaders
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> unemployed: success
Alphabet agencies: work for millions -> unemployment fell from 14 million (1933) to 7 million (1937)
. CCC: 2.5 million jobs troughout 1930s
. PWA: 600,000 jobs
. TVA: 300,000 jobs
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> unemployed: failure
. Alphabet agencies: jobs were short term + people ended up back on the dole
. Unemployment at lowest (1937): still over 7 million unemployed + 10 million the following year (recession)
. WW2: ended unemployment -> unemployment fell from 9.5 million in 1939 to 670,000 in 1945
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> African Americans: success
. Thousands received much more relief than before
. CCC programme: around 200,000 benefited + got a large share of housing in slum-clearence projects
. New deal administration: gave them positions of responsibility
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> African Americans: failures (5)
. Seen as: second-class citizens
. New deal agencies: discriminated blacks as they were segregated from whites in camps, treated worse than whites (eg. they couldn’t live in new town of Norris) and paid lower wages
. Hard to get work: jobs usually given to whites -> 1 in 20 blacks in desk job compared to 1 in 3 whites + often got menial jobs
. Unemployment: 35% for AAs 1935 (higher than whites)
. FDR didn’t put through civil rights laws: passed 1 law while president for 15 years -> particularly an anti-lynching law
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> women: success
. Peekins: effective secretary of Labour + key in second new deal
. Eleanor Roosevelt: important campaigner + activist for woman rights
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> women: failure
. Avergae wage: half that of men in 1937
. Most new deal programmes: aimed to help men, not women -> CCC programme included 8000 women out of 2.5 million involved
. Role & status of vast majority of women: unchanged by new deal
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> Farmers: success
. Millions helped by AAA, TVA, RA and FSA
. RA (second new deal): continues work for AAA + moved 500,000 farming families to better land -> continued by FSA
. Loans given to small farmers to buy land
. Prices controlled to making farming profitable
Did everyone benefit from the New deal? -> Farmers: failure
. Farming remained impoverished
. Under-investment in farmimg + problems in farmimg continues
