Roosevelt and the New Deal Flashcards
(28 cards)
When did Roosevelt take up reigns of President?
March 4th 1933
When did Hoover win the election?
2nd Thursday in Nov 1932
What happened before Roosevelt took up reigns of president?
there had been a banking crisis, with 1000s of banks closing
What did Roosevelt do about the banking crisis?
On March 5th Roosevelt closed all banks so officials could check them over – with only safe banks reopening
-This emergency action restored faith in the remaining banks
List all the Alphabet Agencies of the New Deal:
- CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)
- AAA (Agriculture Adjustment Act)
- PWA (The Public Works Administration)
- TVA (The Tennessee Valley Authority
- NRA (National Recovery Administration)
- FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration)
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps):
- Problem = unemployment for young men in particular, getting Americans back to work
- They could sign on for periods of 6 months which would be renewed if they still couldn’t find work
- Most of work done by CCC was on environmental projects in National Parks
- In general, money earned went back to mens’ families
- Scheme helped 2.5 mil men
AAA (Agriculture Adjustment Act):
- Tried to take a long-term view on the problem facing farmers – getting American industry and agriculture back on their feet
- Set quotas to reduce farm production gradually forcing the prices upwards
- Helped farmers to modernise and use farming methods that would conserve and protect the soil
- In case of extreme hardship farmers would receive help on mortgage
- Modernisation had the unfortunate effect of putting more farm labourers out of work
PWA (The Public Works Administration):
- Protecting Americans’ savings and property
- Used gov money to build schools, roads, dams, bridges and airports
- Would be vital once USA recovered and in short term created mils of jobs
- Getting industry and unemployed back on their feet
TVA (The Tennessee Valley Authority:
- TV – huge valley that cut across 7 states
- Area had great physical problems
- In wet season, T would flood
- In dry season T river would reduce to a trickle
- Soil was eroding and turning land into desert
- Area also had great social problems
- Within valley ppl lived in poverty
- Majority of households had no electricity
- Problems too big for 1 state to handle
- TVA cut across powers of local state gov’s
- Main focus was to build series of dams on T river
- Transformed region
- Dams made it possible to irrigate the dried-out lands
- Also provided electricity for this underdeveloped area
- Building dams created 1000s of jobs in an area badly hit by the Great Depression
NRA (National Recovery Administration):
- Get Americans back to work
- Improved working conditions
- Banned child labour
- Limited number of working hours
- Increased wages paid
FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration):
- Attended to needs of poor
- Spent $500 mil worth on soup kitchens, shelter, food etc.
- Gave immediate help to homeless Americans
How. many people were unemployed by 1932?
13 mil
What happened to Roosevelt in 1921?
got polio – could never walk again without support
Who encouraged Roosevelt to get back into politics?
wife, Eleanor Roosevelt
What was Roosevelt’s message?
was to offer Americans with a new deal and create more jobs
What was the result of the 1932 election?
Roosevelt won by a landslide in the 1932 election, 42 out of 48 states
How did Roosevelt communicate changes to the American people?
through Fireside Chats
Who opposed Roosevelt?
Communists, socialist, upper class etc.
In the 1936 election what did Alfred Landon say about the New Deal?
impractical and extravagant
What was the result of the 1936 election?
Roosevelt won another landslide victory
What was the ‘glittering success’ in the 1930s?
growth of the film industry. – Hollywood
Why were there lots of strikers in the 1930s?
because lots of businesses refused to acknowledge the trade union
What were the key successes of the New Deal?
gov agencies built roads, hospitals, schools etc. and the TVA made mills of acres fertile
What finally brought unemployment to an end?
start of WW2 in 1939
