The New Deal

Roosevelt’s Election The 1932 Presidential Election was a

landslide. Franklin Delano Roosevelt handily

defeated the incumbent Herbert Hoover In the 4 months between FDR’s election

and his inauguration, he began developing a set of new policies aimed at attacking the Great Depression with a group of professors, lawyers, and journalists known as the “Brain Trust”

The Hundred Days March 9-June 16 1933 Period of intense legislative activity in

which 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation were passed by Congress

Significantly expanded the role of the Federal Government in the economy

Goals First goal was to reform banking and

finance Followed up these reforms by

providing relief to struggling farmers and unemployed workers

Criticism Conservatives felt that the New Deal

gave the Federal Government too much power.

Liberals thought it didn’t go far enough to help the poor

Second New Deal and the Second Hundred Days

By 1935, FDR was looking for ways to build on the programs of the First New Deal.

The economy had improved but not as much as he would have liked

Unemployment was still high and production still lagged

Set another set of legislation in motion aimed at providing relief through work

WPA and the Brookfield Zoo

83 acres of land was donated to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County by Edith Rockefeller McCormick in 1919 for the creation of a zoo.

Work began in 1926 but halted due to the stock market crash

Project was abandoned until FDR instituted the New Deal

Constructed by the PWA (Public Works Administration)

Opened in 1934 All advertisements/posters/promotional

material were created by the WPA (Works Progress Administration), one of the largest and most successful New Deal Programs• Construction of parks, roads, public buildings• Also employed artists to create murals, posters,

etc. and writers/journalists to record and archive historical events

Court Packing The conservative Supreme Court began

striking down New Deal programs by 1935

Seeing this as a problem, FDR proposed a court-reform bill that would allow him to appoint 6 new justices (all of whom would be in favor of the New Deal)

Hotly contested in Congress where it was seen as a violation of the separation of powers

What Happened? Judicial reform proved to be

unnecessary An elderly justice retired, allowing

FDR to appoint another liberal to the court

His problem was solved

The End of the New Deal The idea of a Third New Deal was

introduced by FDR, but he was not a fan of deficit spending

By 1937 the economy had improved enough that people thought the end of the Depression was near

FDR scaled back New Deal legislation considerably due to pressure from Congress

The End By 1939 the New Deal was effectively

over Unemployment rose from 7.7 million

to 10.4 million FDR focused on Europe, particularly

the rise of Hitler

Impact of the New Deal Did not end the Great Depression, but

it did greatly reduce the suffering of thousands (still very controversial)

Provided regulation of banking and investment activities

Protection of workers’ rights Social Security Conservation efforts

• National Parks• TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)