How Successful Was The New Deal?

? Attitudes-The New Deal divided the USA. RDF and his officials were often accused of being Communists and of undermining American values. The New Deal restored America's faith in central government, the presidency and in democracy because FDR was willing to try anything and everything to get the economy moving again and to prevent Fascism or Communism taking hold. Unemployment segregated people "Those on top..." people with jobs still earning money "...and the rest of us" the large percentage of the population who were unemployed. The New Deal was a huge social and economic programme; Government help on this scale would never have been possible before FDR's time. It set the tone for future polices for government to help people.

? Agriculture-In most areas of life during the boom people had flourished, however the agricultural market had not been doing well for a long time so when the depression came it only worsened their situation. Many farmers were losing their land until the New Deal stepped in and gave loans to farmers so that they did not lose their farms. This meant that thousands of young men could be taken by the CCC out into the countryside to get fit and healthy and to do useful work and by 1937 the AAA had substantially increased farmers' incomes.

? Improvements in welfare provision-The depression forced the US government to form a welfare state and look after the poor, people no longer wanted to be "Rugged Individualists" they saw it as the governments duty to look after them. Social security and other welfare schemes did help many ordinary people and have had lasting effects. Projects such as the TVA brought work and improved the standard of living in deprived parts of the USA.

? For African-Americans-Around 200,000 African-Americans gained benefits from the Civilian Conservation Corps and other New Deal agencies and many benefited from the slum clearance and housing projects. However many New Deal agencies discriminated against African-Americans. They either got no work or received worse treatment or lower wages. FDR failed to pass laws against the lynching of African-American because he feared that Democrat senators in the southern states would not support him.

? For Native Americans-The Indian Reorganisation Act 1934 provided money to help Native Americans buy and improve land and the Indian Reservation Act 1934 helped them to preserve and practice their traditions, laws and culture. However they remained a poor and excluded section of society.

? For Women-The New Deal saw some women achieve prominent positions. Eleanor Roosevelt became an important campaigner on social issues, Mary Macleod Bethune, a black woman, headed the National Youth Administration, and Frances Perkins was the secretary of Labour. She managed to remove 59 corrupt officials from the Labour Department and was a key figure in making the second New Deal work. However not all women benefited, as most of the New Deal programmes were aimed to help male manual workers rather than women and local governments tried to avoid paying out social security payments to women by introducing special qualifications and conditions. Most women though, who had jobs, were still being paid less than men for the same work.

What did the new deal actually achieve?

Physically what the New Deal achieved was huge-it restored the American peoples confidence in there system and it saved capitalism. However the New Deal could never save America from the Depression, it took another World War, in 1939, to eventually revive her economy, however the New Deal did achieve a lot. In the first 100 days the banking reforms managed to stabilise the American system and to stop further financial collapse. Many more businesses may have fallen if more banks had failed. Millions of poor received relief (food, shelter) from the new welfare state, the safety net that America had finally seen as being necessary.

The 'Roosevelt Recession' (1937-38) saw unemployment rise again, this caused FDR's sceptics to raise the question "Was the New Deal really working?" seeing as the second the government stopped supporting the plan the whole thing collapsed. After the recession support fell for the New Deal, Americans were no longer behind it 100% and many of the programmes were hampered by opposition that was influential enough to prevent some of the measures that FRD wished to bring in.

The New Deal did a lot to help the average white American male, most of the schemes and programmes where aimed at them, however it did very little to help the Africa-Americans, minority groups and women. They were still segregated and discriminated against, they got the worst jobs and less pay and often their relief was not as high as that which others received. It did nothing to improve the civil rights of ethnic groups or to help with equal opportunities.

Lizi Moorcraft History August 2001