Roosevelt and the New Deal

Roosevelt proposed a New Deal for the American people, this was based on the "three R's". These stood for relief, recovery & reform.

Relief: Aimed at the homeless and unemployed

Recovery: Aimed at building up the economy

Reform: Aimed at creating a fairer society

The new deal involed the government taking direct federal action to help America and also went against the republican idea of rugged individualism which was employed by Hoover during the previous years. 

The first "Hundred Days" saw many government agencies set up to tackle America's problems. These became known as the alphabet agencies. 

The new deal helped to restore confidence and faith in the government; it also stimulated the economy and put the country back on its feet:

• America avoided the swing to communism and fascism that overtook Europe meaning the country was still being democratically governed. 
• Millions of jobs were created tnrough the alphabet agencies; 4 million people were employed through the PWA & WPA; 2.5 million were employed in the CCC. This helped to solve the unemployment issues. 
• The TVA improved the lives of 7 million people.
• Income of farmers doubled between 1932 and 1939 as a result of the AAA
• The New Deal stablished the US baking system and restored confidence to the markets.
• Workers were protected and trade uions allowed. 
• Created a semi-welfare state, providing pensions for the elderly and widows and state help for the sick, disabled and unemployed meaning government intervention was increased.

There were quite a few criticisms of the deal with two main ideas against it:

Some believed that the New Deal did not go far enough:

• New deal agencies driscriminated against black people; either got no work or recieved lower wages than white workers. This shows a lack of change for black people.
• The governor of Louisiana criticised Roosevelt for not sharing the natio's wealth fairly, propsed his own share the wealth campaign.
• Father Charles Coughlin criticsed the New Deal for not doing enough to help the needy; his weekly radio broadcasts attracted over 40 million listeners. 
• Dr Frances Townsend argued that Roosevelt had not done enough to help old people and proposed a pension of $300 a month for everyone over the age of 60.

• Some felt that the federal government now interfered too much in the affairs of the American people; the Newl Deal went against the beliefed in rugged indivudliasm which caused opposition from repubicans. 
• Argued that new social welfare measures encouraged people to live off the state
• Many viewed trade unions as un-American. Seemed to take choice away from workers.
• Some conservative Democrats were critical, believed that too much power was given to trade unions.
• In 1935 suprememe court ruled that the NRA was unconstitutional, in 1936 declared the AAA unconsitutional. Claimed that Roosevelt had used federal powers which the state had not granted him. 

The New Deal provided alphabet agencies. These were seen as short-term solutions which provided cheap labour and did not solve underlying economic problems. Unemployment did however fall and did benefit some people as they were able to receive some money from work, however, it wasn't until the Second World War that ultimately lifted the country out of the depression.