How successful were the new deals in solving the problems that were present in the American society after the depression?

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How successful were the new deals in solving the problems that were present in the American society after the depression?

   The great depression was a watershed in the political, social and economic life of the United States. In 1932 the Americans finally voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt for president. He promised them a ‘new deal’ that would put them back on the road to prosperity.

     In simple terms, Roosevelt set out to deliver ‘the 3 R’s’: relief for those suffering the terrible effects of the depression; recovery of the country by help in the creation of jobs and reform by passing laws to make sure that the economic disaster of 1929-1932 did not happen again.  He wanted to restart the nation to its previous strength whilst preventing anything from going wrong. As soon as he was inaugurated president he set out to achieve these 3 R’s in what was known as ‘The Hundred Days’. During this time Roosevelt used all his powers to deal with the most dangerous crises facing the nation.

    Firstly he targeted the banking crisis, the day after his inauguration he ordered all banks to close and he passed the Emergency Banking Act. Officials inspected the accounts of all the banks, and only those with properly managed accounts were allowed to reopen.  He then spoke directly to his people in the first of his ‘fireside chats’ as president. He assured them the banks were now safe and that there was no longer any reason to withdraw money from them.  When the banks were opened the following week more money was deposited in them than had previously been withdrawn. Since the banking crisis was over the Americans were prepared to put their trust in him.

    Only a few days later he passed an Economy Act, classed as a pay cut. The pay of those working for the government and armed forces was cut by 15%, whilst the budgets of all government departments were cut by 25%. This meant Roosevelt had saved nearly $ 1 billion, which was available for spending on other areas.

    The most popular of all the acts was the Beer Act, this meant that the manufacture and sale of beer was legal again and prohibition was ended. Many new jobs were created and the government gained money from the tax on the beer.

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    The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) provided an excellent example of the compassion Roosevelt felt for the young unemployed. It was designed to tackle the problem unemployment between the ages of 18 and 25. Throughout the country camps were set up and organised by the army. The men were set to work on a range of projects aiming to improve and conserve the environment. The period of time usually spent on a CCC project was six months with $30 a month pay. But $22 of it went back to the families of the men to help them survive the ...

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