Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration reacted to the problems of the Great Depression by implementing the First and Second New Deals, which solved many problems and vastly expanded the role of the federal government.
At the end of the Herbert Hoover administration, at which time FDR took office, the nation had many deep problems. It was impossible to receive a bank loan, mortgage foreclosures were commonplace, the unemployment rate was staggering and the agricultural sector of the nation was hovering above collapse. So many men and women were turned onto the streets, and times were tougher than anyone could have imagined, as is illustrated in the words in the January, 1932, New Masses article.
The First New Deal, implemented by Roosevelt in the famous “first 100 days” was an attempt at short-term relief programs for a plethora of groups. This ended the gold standard and Prohibition as well as implemented banking reform, agricultural and work relief programs, and industrial reform.
This plan was based of Keynesian economics, in which the government poured federal money for relief programs. One of the major programs of the Second New Deal programs was the Social Security System, in which senior citizens and some disabled workers would get a monthly check to support their cost of living. This was implemented to gain the votes of elderly people (primarily those above 65) before the 1936 election.
The New Deals put into place many more successful programs as well. In dealing with the farm crisis, it extended a hand with the passage of the AAA. This paid farmers to stop producing food. The thought was that decreased supply would increase demand and drive food prices up. Thus, farmers would become employed and the fabric of the whole economy would be strengthened, as it eventually was. This can be seen in the decreasing unemployment rate throughout the end of the Great Depression.
The government began to run more smoothly, too, as a whole, or so FDR insured. When he received opposition, FDR began stuffing the courts with pro-New Deal justices. This got him a lot of bad press, however, some liberals saw it as a blessing.
It was not just the court stuffing that was opposed in the New Deal, though; the massive spending that went into the New Deal programs also caused much controversy. Many calls that FDR was a super-liberal trying to create a left-wing revolution were made. However, he tried to calm doubters by saying that the massive government spending was needed and it was simply an evolution of government’s role, that didn’t fly with many opponents though. Therefore, increasingly, fears that FDR was a socialist or communist rose. Although he was creating more jobs and improving the worker’s environment, many believed that increased government involvement in life would be problematic, like an iron curtain.
Although the point of whether FDR was a socialist is debated, it is fact that in some cases, the expanded Roosevelt government crossed the line. In the 1935 Schechter v. United States case, the NRA was declared unconstitutional. In that case, the government was proved to have overstepped their bounds. This was declared this way for many reasons, namely that the Supreme Court decided that the government didn’t have the ability to determine wage laws and hour limits for all sectors of business. However, some disputed its unconstitutionality, pointing out the inability of large employers to grant livable wages and hour limits, for fear of losing profits.
Finally, the New Deal was criticized for claiming to meet the needs of special interest groups, but not meeting all interests, such as those of African Americans. It should be noted, however, that the Roosevelt administration was the most diverse up to that point.
Ultimately, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration met the Great Depressions problems head on with a slew of ultra-liberal legislation, however socialist it may have been. They did this by expanding the role of government, and at times over-expanding.
At the end of the Herbert Hoover administration, at which time FDR took office, the nation had many deep problems. It was impossible to receive a bank loan, mortgage foreclosures were commonplace, the unemployment rate was staggering and the agricultural sector of the nation was hovering above collapse. So many men and women were turned onto the streets, and times were tougher than anyone could have imagined, as is illustrated in the words in the January, 1932, New Masses article.
The First New Deal, implemented by Roosevelt in the famous “first 100 days” was an attempt at short-term relief programs for a plethora of groups. This ended the gold standard and Prohibition as well as implemented banking reform, agricultural and work relief programs, and industrial reform.
This plan was based of Keynesian economics, in which the government poured federal money for relief programs. One of the major programs of the Second New Deal programs was the Social Security System, in which senior citizens and some disabled workers would get a monthly check to support their cost of living. This was implemented to gain the votes of elderly people (primarily those above 65) before the 1936 election.The New Deals put into place many more successful programs as well. In dealing with the farm crisis, it extended a hand with the passage of the AAA. This paid farmers to stop producing food. The thought was that decreased supply would increase demand and drive food prices up. Thus, farmers would become employed and the fabric of the whole economy would be strengthened, as it eventually was. This can be seen in the decreasing unemployment rate throughout the end of the Great Depression.
The government began to run more smoothly, too, as a whole, or so FDR insured. When he received opposition, FDR began stuffing the courts with pro-New Deal justices. This got him a lot of bad press, however, some liberals saw it as a blessing.
It was not just the court stuffing that was opposed in the New Deal, though; the massive spending that went into the New Deal programs also caused much controversy. Many calls that FDR was a super-liberal trying to create a left-wing revolution were made. However, he tried to calm doubters by saying that the massive government spending was needed and it was simply an evolution of government’s role, that didn’t fly with many opponents though. Therefore, increasingly, fears that FDR was a socialist or communist rose. Although he was creating more jobs and improving the worker’s environment, many believed that increased government involvement in life would be problematic, like an iron curtain.
Although the point of whether FDR was a socialist is debated, it is fact that in some cases, the expanded Roosevelt government crossed the line. In the 1935 Schechter v. United States case, the NRA was declared unconstitutional. In that case, the government was proved to have overstepped their bounds. This was declared this way for many reasons, namely that the Supreme Court decided that the government didn’t have the ability to determine wage laws and hour limits for all sectors of business. However, some disputed its unconstitutionality, pointing out the inability of large employers to grant livable wages and hour limits, for fear of losing profits.
Finally, the New Deal was criticized for claiming to meet the needs of special interest groups, but not meeting all interests, such as those of African Americans. It should be noted, however, that the Roosevelt administration was the most diverse up to that point.
Ultimately, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration met the Great Depressions problems head on with a slew of ultra-liberal legislation, however socialist it may have been. They did this by expanding the role of government, and at times over-expanding.
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