ID: The New Deal
When: 1933-1939 (Height of activity)
Who:
- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR): Initiator and driving force behind the New Deal.
- “Brain Trust”: A group of advisors, including academics and intellectuals, who helped develop New Deal policies.
- Congress: Passed legislation that enacted the New Deal programs.
- American Public: Beneficiaries and impacted by the various programs.
What:
A series of programs and reforms enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1939 in response to the Great Depression. The New Deal aimed to provide Relief for the unemployed, Recovery of the economy, and Reform to prevent future depressions (the “3 R’s”). Key programs included:
- Relief: Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
- Recovery: Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), National Recovery Administration (NRA).
- Reform: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Social Security Act.
- Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act - 1935): Guaranteed workers the right to organize and bargain collectively.
Impact: Why Significant?:
- Expanded Role of Government: Significantly increased the size and scope of the federal government in the lives of Americans.
- Social Safety Net: Established a precedent for government responsibility in providing a social safety net for citizens, including unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and welfare programs.
- Infrastructure Development: Led to the construction of numerous public works projects, including dams, bridges, roads, and public buildings, many of which still exist today.
- Economic Recovery (Partial): Helped to alleviate some of the worst effects of the Great Depression, but did not fully end it. World War II is largely credited with ending the Depression.
- Shift in Political Alignment: Solidified the Democratic Party’s dominance and created a new coalition of voters, including urban workers, farmers, African Americans, and ethnic minorities.
- Legacy and Debate: The New Deal’s legacy is still debated today, with some arguing that it was a necessary and effective response to the Depression, while others criticize it for its cost, inefficiency, and expansion of government power.
- Increased Unionization: Wagner Act led to a significant increase in union membership and power.