FDR and The New DealUnit 4 Part 3

Election of 1932: FDR and Change

• Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Democrats won in a landslide election in 1932.

• Only president to serve more than two terms in office. (1932-1945)

• Had to end the Great Depression in order to restore American’s faith in Democracy.

•Was paralyzed from the waist down in 1921.

•Was Secretary of the Navy and Governor of New York.

Eleanor Roosevelt

•FDR’s wife.

•Social Reformer

•Traveled around observing social conditions

•Urged FDR to appoint women to government positions.

First 100 Days: Introduction of the New Deal

•FDR was known for accomplishing a lot during his first months in office.

•Ever since, every President has been expected to initiate a lot of government action almost instantly.

Fireside Chats•Roosevelt would talk directly to the American people about their problems.

•Made Americans feel like the President understood their hardships.

The New Deal

•FDR was willing to use government intervention to solve economic problems.

•Long-Term Goal: to establish a “safety net” to protect the poor.

Goals of the New Deal

•Roosevelt’s plan to fix the Great Depression. Focused on:

•Relief for the needy

•Economic Recovery

•Financial Reform

Brain Trust

•Roosevelt’s carefully selected group – which helped him create the New Deal.

Deficit Spending

•When the government goes into debt. (Spending more money than the government receives in revenue.)

• The New Deal required government to spend money on creating jobs for Americans.

• The Federal deficit increased to $2.9 billion.

Major Criticisms

•The New Deal programs made people dependent on the Federal Government.

•Was the national government favoring socialism by increasing its responsibility for the welfare of the economy?!?!?

Government

Americans

Huey Long

•Liberal

•Believed FDR should do MORE!

•Wanted to win the presidency for himself.

•Had a “Share-Our-Wealth” plan.

•1935: assassinated

FDR’s Court Packing Plan•FDR was afraid the Supreme Court would totally get rid of the New Deal.

•FDR wanted to reorganize the Supreme Court by appointing 6 new judges (which of course would be judges that were sympathetic to the New Deal).

FDR’s Court Packing

•FDR’s Court Packing Plan made Congress and the public very mad.

•Support for FDR decreased.

•The Bill Failed.

New Deal Comes to an End

•Even though FDR tried and tried, it was….

•WWII THAT ENDED THE GREAT DEPRESSION!

Emergency Banking Relief Act

•FDR closed all of the banks and only reopened those that were secure.

•Restored public confidence in banks.

•Roosevelt’s first action when he became President.

Glass-Steagall Act (1933)

•Established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

•Provided federal insurance for individual bank accounts

•Required banks to act cautiously with costumer’s money.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

•Regulated banking and investment activities

• Insures accounts up to $100,000.

•Attempted to restore public confidence in, and regulate, financial institutions (Banks).

Federal Securities Act

•Business now had to:

•Provide complete information on all stocks.

•Tell the truth about how much the business was worth!

-Most important- led to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the stock market.

Stocks and Worth

National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)

• Establishing rules of fair practice for individual businesses

•Created the National Recovery Administration (NRA):

• set prices of many products

• limited production

•workers could unionize and bargain collectively

• The Supreme Court struck down the NIRA as unconstitutional in 1935.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

•3 million 18-25 year old men were given jobs to:

•build roads

•develop parks

•plant trees

•help soil erosion projects.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)

•Government paid farmers NOT to use their land and produce as much.

•This lowered production – which increased crop prices.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

•Fixed the Tennessee River Valley.

•Renovated 5 existing dams and constructed 20 new ones.

•This created thousands of jobs, provided flood control and hydro-electronic power.

TVA Images

National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)• Protected the right of

workers to join unions and engage in Collective Bargaining with employers.

•Reestablished the NIRA

• Set up the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB): which heard testimony about unfair practices.

UNIONS! $$$

Works Progress Administration (WPA)

•Created 8 million jobs.

•Built 850 airports, constructed or repaired roads, built 125,000 public buildings

•Gave jobs to artists.

WPA Images

National Youth Administration (NYA)

•Provided education, job training, jobs, counseling, and recreation to young people.

•Provided student aid in return for part-time positions at the school.

NYA Images

Social Security Act

•Gave government aid to:

•The Old (retirees 65+)

•The Unemployed

•Families with dependent children and the disabled.