Chapter 3.1 How successful was the new deal in bringing economic recovery by 1940 Flashcards
(15 cards)
why was unemployment relief in the new deal only partially successful
- the CCC, WPA and PWA were the first time federal government directly engaged in bringing help and assistance to the unemployed through directly funded works programmes
-however in no year after 1933 did unemployment fall below 14% of the workforce , 9.5 million
-in 1937, 17.2% of the workforce were still unemployed
how did the NRA and the gold buying experiment do more harm than good
-fdr’s decision to focus on domestic solutions to the usas problems actually prolonged the global depression and depressed US exports
wha72t claims were made about the PWA
offered boomdoggie jobs which provided work of dubious economic value, like scaring pigeons away from public parks
what was the combined personal income of the usa in 1929 compared to 1939
-1929, 85.8 billlion
-1939, 72.9 billion
-despite the population of the US having grown by a million people
how did the Roosevelt Recession 1937-38 worsen the economic situation
-over a ten month period. industrial production fell by 33%
-nearly 4 million people lost their jobs
-unemployment rising to 11.5%
-GNP fell by 12%
how was roosevelt partially responsible for this
-through cutting government expenditure
-the government’s contribution to purchasing power fell from 4.1 billion in 1936 to less that one billion in 1937
how did the alphabet agencies impact national infrastructure
-WPA built 2500 hospitals, 5900 schools, 350 airports, 570,000 miles of road and 8000 parks
-CCC heavily involved in the construction of US national parks and state parks eg Mesa Verde national park in Southern Colorado
-TVA
what impact did the rural elecrtification act have
-fdr persuades private power companies to extend power lines into farm areas, offering low interest loans
-powered labour saving equipment and enabled new industries to locate rural areas
-by 1941, 40% of the nations farmers had received electricity, increasing to 90% by 1950
why was the rural electrification act only partially successful
-acreage under cultivation did not really increase in the new deal years
-in 1929 it was one billion acres and in 1939 it was 1.05 billion
how would you summarise FDR’s successes in economic recovery after the new deal
-may not have brought full economic recovery but by 1940, the new deal had provided millions of jobs and has transformed the road network, school system and hospital provision
-rural areas went through a revolution, eg TVA
women and the new deal is on paper
ok queen
how had trade union membership increased 1930-40
-1930, 3.4 million
-1940, 8.7 million
how was economic power still in the hands of big corporations in 1940
-in 1939, the top 5 corporations in the US controlled 85% of all income generated by business
how did improvements in infrastructure affect education
-by 1940, the number of 17 year olds graduating from HS had risen to 51% compared to 29% in 1930
-due to increased federal funding, numbers of unis and colleges grew from 1400-1700
-a better educated population meant the huma capital levels of the US economy improved
when did full economic recovery hit the usa
-during the second world war when the US became a major source of war production
-in september 1939, FDR persuaded congress to amend the neutrality acts that prevented the usa from offering aid to countries at war
-this led to the cash and carry programme
-in 1939 and 1940, the british and french governments placed large orders for war goods and materials within US firms
