USA the new deal issue 4

Question 1

social relief

Answer 1

benchmark:
- 17 million people were unemployed in 1932. there was no system of federal relief

evidence:
- franklin d roosevelt’s actions led to the tenesse valley authority, which aimed to build 20 new dams along the tenesse river, to provide electricity and jobs.

• the farm credit act (march 1933) helped farmers by giving them low interest loans

analysis:
- allowed thousands of construction workers to be employed and have a stable income.

• prevented farmers from losing their homes.

counter analysis:
- the tva only supported those in the area in tenesse, kentucky, alabama, north carolina, virginia and georgia, still leaving many people were still left without support.

evaluation:
- there was a 200% increase in average income between 1929 - this was not the case for economic recovery.

Question 2

economic recovery

Answer 2

benchmark:
- 1932, 250,000 americans fell behind mortgage and were evicted, governments did not help.

evidence:
- agricultural adjustment act 1933, increased farmers incomes by paying them subsidies to hold back on production.

• glass steagall act 1933, bank officials banned from taking loans out of their own banks.

analysis:
- total farm income rose from 4.5 billion to 6.9 billion in 1935

• new stability for banking systems, saved capitalism.

counter analysis:
- the AAA only helped rich farmers, and was at the expense of tenants and stock brokers.

evaluation:
- “if interventionism worked, it took nine years and a world war to demonstrate that fact.” - paul johnson.

Question 3

reform

Answer 3

benchmark:
- 100,000 businesses collapsed in 1932, and GNP fell from $203.6 billion to $144.2 billion. The us. needed reformation to be able to go back to how it was prior to the great depression.

evidence:
- social security act 1935, aimed to get old age pensions to be employer funded.

• national labour relations act guaranteed workers the rights to bargaining through unions and employers were forbidden from practices such as discrimination.

analysis:
- provided support for widows, the elderly, disabled people, and poor children.

• was the first of its kind to give trade unions rights in law, which committed government to a labour relations role.

counter analysis:
- the SSA was inadequate and did not provide support for the poor, and agricultural and domestic workers.

evaluation.
- “never in american history had a president exercised such power or so rapidly expanded the role of federal government in peoples lives” - eric foner.