getting out of depression
TRANSCRIPT
The Great Depression
1929-1939
Getting out of the Depression
Frances PerkinsSec. of Labor
Eleanor Roosevelt
A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.
Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself. I could not at any age
be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on.
Fireside Chats
F. D. Roosevelt:
“You have nothing to fear,
except fear itself”
The The FirstFirst
1. ReliefImmediate action to halt economy’s
deterioration
2. Recovery"Pump - Priming“: Temporary
programs to restart flow of consumer demand & offer jobs
3. ReformPermanent programs to avoid another
depression & insure citizens against economic disasters
Workers organize to better conditionsFirst strike 1877: Railroad
• American Federation of Labor (skilled/craft)
• Formed by Samuel Gompers• Used collective bargaining
• Industrial Workers of the World (“unskilled”)
• Created by radical unionists and socialists
Renewed interest in UNIONS and collective bargaining
In three years, 577 often violent strikes
STEEL, AUTO, RUBBER industries
Social Security – gone by 2041
Distributes $ from poor to non-poor–Poorer generally start working earlier…
–Poorer generally die earlier…
Where did the U.S. get all Where did the U.S. get all the billions of dollars to the billions of dollars to
carry people out of carry people out of the Great Depression? the Great Depression?
Where did the U.S. get all Where did the U.S. get all the billions of dollars to the billions of dollars to
carry people out of carry people out of the Great Depression? the Great Depression?
• Bank Holiday
• Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA)
• Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
• Civilian Works Administration (CWA & PWA)
RELIEF Legislation
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
• Works Progress Administration (WPA)
• National Recovery Act (NRA)
• Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
RECOVERY Legislation
• Security & Exchange Commission (SEC)
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• National Labor Relations Act / Board (NLRA/B)
• Social Security (SS)
REFORM Legislation
Senator Huey Long (La.)“Share Our Wealth”
- Socialist - FDR “too easy on rich”- Money spent on public works- Guaranteed $5,000 to all- Take millionaire’s $ and divide- Everyone gets car, house, radio- “Every Man A King, but no one wears
a crown”- Shot and killed in 1935
Father Charles Coughlin- More economic & political
talks on radio than religious- FDR “too friendly to bankers”- Economic reform =
anti-comm. & anti-capit.- Supported fascism- Anti-semitic - Isolationist- Silenced
UnconstitutionalState
Gov’t toRegulateIntrastateBusiness…
Hurt small business
CongressCan’t
RegulateAgr
Court PackingChanging the Supreme Court…. WHY???
FDR’s LegacyPROS
- Unemploy. decreased
- Increased income- Preserved resources- Cushion for
elderly/sick- Supported unions- Ensured bank safety
CONS- National debt
increased- Doubled fed.
Bureaucracy- Didn’t increase
small business activity
FDR’s Legacy
Set a precedent that the federal government is
responsible for the economic welfare
of the people