■Essential QuestionEssential Question:

–To what extent did Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal provide relief, recovery, & reform during the Great Depression?

■Warm-Up QuestionWarm-Up Question:

–In what ways did the Dust Bowl exacerbate the problems of the Great Depression?

FDR’s New Deal

The Dust Bowl (1931-1939) worsened the effects of the DepressionAreas Affected by the Dust Bowl drought“Okies” & “Arkies”

The Election of 1932■The depression made Hoover the

victim, but Franklin Roosevelt emerged as the “savior”:–In the 1932 election, FDR was

able to unite the rural & urban factions of the Democratic party & won landslide victory

–FDR appealed to Protestants & Catholics, farmers & workers, native-born & immigrants

“I pledge you—I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people.”

The Hundred Days■When FDR took over in 1933, the

U.S. economy was on the brink of collapse:

–Unemployment was at 25%

–38 states had total bank failure

■FDR requested from Congress broad executive power & began his “New Deal”

FDR asked for “broad executive power that would be given to me if we were in

fact invaded by a foreign foe.”

“Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—

nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert

retreat into advance.”

The Hundred Days■In his first 3 months (the Hundred Hundred

Days)Days), FDR made 15 requests from Congress & got 15 new laws

■FDR 1st tried to restore confidence in US banking:

–FDR declared a “bank holiday,” closed weak banks, funded failing banks, & opened new gov’t-aided banks

Banks were regulated not nationalized; the economic system

was reformed, not drastically changed

“Capitalism was saved in eight days”

The Hundred Days■Federal Emergency Relief ActFederal Emergency Relief Act

pumped $500 million into state welfare programs

■Glass-Steagall ActGlass-Steagall Act guaranteed all bank deposits over $5,000

■Agricultural Adjustment AdminAgricultural Adjustment Admin subsidized farmers

■Tennessee Valley AuthorityTennessee Valley Authority created dams in 7 states to provide power & control flooding

The Tennessee Valley Authority

Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats

The Hundred Days

■The 1st hundred days of FDR’s administration were temporary solutions to solve problems, but…

■Psychologically, Americans believed that FDR was actively responding to the Depression

The Hundred Days

“Even the hand of an iron dictator is in preference to a paralytic stroke”

—Alf Landon (Repub nominee in 1936)

“The whole country is with him, just so he does something. If he burned down the capitol we would cheer and say ‘well, we

at least got a fire started anyhow.’”—Will Rogers

The New Deal ■The New Deal was comprised of

3 key components:–ReliefRelief—immediate action to halt

the economic deterioration–RecoveryRecovery—temporary programs

to increase consumer purchase power

–ReformReform—permanent programs to avoid another depression

Relief■The greatest success of the New

Deal was its ability to offer relief to unemployed citizens via the Reconstruction Finance Corps:–Modest relief checks were doled

to 15% of Americans –Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps

(CCC) employed urban men–Civilian Works AdminCivilian Works Admin (CWA)

hired 4 million men & women

CCC workers paved roads, planted trees, built bridges

CWACreating drainage system for an airfield Dredging a lake

Recovery–Works Progress AdminWorks Progress Admin (WPA):

•$5 billion spent to make jobs for unemployed & rouse economy

•WPA cared less about what got done as long as work was done

•Funded artists, writers, & actors–WPA helped but never employed

enough people to stimulate consumer purchase power—it made the Depression bearable

WPA Public Work Project

WPA Initiatives

WPA Health Initiatives

WPA Health Initiatives

WPA Arts Project

WPA Community Murals

Construction of the Damby William Gropper

Kansas City from

Politics, Farming, &

the Law

by Thomas Hart Benton,

1936

WPA Music Projects

WPA Theater Projects

The Cradle Will RockThe Cradle Will Rock, , 19371937

The Cradle Will RockThe Cradle Will Rock, , 19371937

Orson Welles & John Houseman

“The theater, when it’s good, is always

dangerous!”

WPA Writers Projects

WPA Travel Guides

Former Former SlaveSlave

InterviewsInterviews

Former Former SlaveSlave

InterviewsInterviews

WPA Oral Histories Projects

Recovery■Nat’l Recovery AdminNat’l Recovery Admin (NRA)

hoped to plan & coordinate gov’t, business, & labor –To help workers: Established

maximum hours, minimum wages, & collective bargaining

–To help industries: Fixed prices, production limits, & allocated production % to companies

–Too bureaucratic; cooperation gave way to self-interest & greed

National Recovery Admin

Success of the New Deal Programs?

The Second New Deal Shifts to Reform

Roosevelt and Reform

■The failure of the New Deal to end the depression led to growing frustration among Americans

–From 1933-1934, the New Deal focused in immediate problems & did very little to help unskilled workers & sharecroppers

–In 1935, FDR shifted approach from economic relief to reform

Challenges to FDR■By 1935, signs of discontent with

the New Deal were evidenced as 3 critics gained national attention: –Father Charles CoughlinFather Charles Coughlin called

for nationalizing US banks; used anti-Semitism in radio sermons

–Francis TownsendFrancis Townsend appealed to the elderly with a $200/mo payment plan to anyone over 60 in order to stimulate the economy

Father Charles Coughlin

Dr. Francis Townsend

Challenges to FDR

■Louisiana Senator Huey Long proposed his Share the WealthShare the Wealth plan to:

–Take from the rich—a 100% tax on all personal income over $1 million

–Give to the poor—give every American $2500 per year

Huey Long How many men ever went to a barbecue &

would let one man take off the table

what's intended for 9/10th of the people to

eat? The only way you'll ever be able to

feed the balance of the people is to make that

man come back & bring back some of

that grub that he ain't got no business with!

Now, how are you going to feed the

balance of the people? What's Morgan &

Baruch & Rockefeller & Mellon going to do

with all that grub? They can't eat it, they can't wear the clothes, they

can't live in the houses.

But when they've got everything on God's loving

earth that they can eat & they can wear & they can live in, & all that their children can live in

& wear & eat, & all of their children's children can use, then we've got to call Mr. Morgan & Mr. Mellon an Mr. Rockefeller back and say: “Come back here, put that stuff back on this table here that you took away from

here that you don't need. Leave something else for the

American people to consume.” The Kingfish

Huey Long threatened to run as a 3rd Party candidate but was assassinated in 1935

Challenges to FDR

■The popularity of these opposition voices showed the need for the New Deal to do more to help

■In the 1934 mid-term elections, the Democrats increased their control of Congress & doled out $4.8 billion for the WPA & was prepared to enact almost any New Deal proposal

“Boys—this is our hour. We’ve got to get everything we want…now or never.”

—RFC head Harry Hopkins

Social Security■Social Security ActSocial Security Act (1935) was

the 1st U.S. welfare program for the aged, disabled, & unemployed–Old-age pensions to be funded

by employers & workers –Unemployment compensation to

begin in 1942 funded nat’l taxes but administered by states

–Welfare payments for the blind, handicapped, & needy children

■Liberal critics argued that SS did not do enough

■Conservative critics argued that SS violated individualism & self-reliance

■Regardless, SS created US 1st welfare program to help individuals

Labor Legislation■Wagner ActWagner Act (1935) created the

Nat’l Labor Relations Board to oversee labor-management affairs–Mandated management to

negotiate with unions regarding pay, hours, conditions if majority of workers vote for a union

■Fair Labor Standards ActFair Labor Standards Act (1938) created 1st minimum wage & maximum hour laws (aimed at workers not helped by unions)

40¢ per hour40 hours per week