The first New Deal was emergency and temporary. It was made quickly to try and stop the crisis. FDR set up what were know as ‘alphabet agencies’ these including organisations like the WPA, AAA, CCC, TVA, BA. These acts worked well and created emergency relief for the worst hit and much needed jobs. They were quick to act on the problems and produced the intended results fast. The rate of unemployment dropped rapidly and it looked like, for the first time in many years, American people could begin to hope for a better and happier future. Looking at these points raised it can be said that FDR was responsible for all the good that came out of his years as president.
The first New deal did not come without his critics. Some thought that the measures that FDR took were too little and that the economy needed more help to get back on its feet, these were people like Huey Long, Fr. Coughlin and Dr. Francis Townsend. Fr. Coughlin was also known as the ‘radio priest’ and set up the National Union for Social Justice. Huey Long set up the Share our Wealth scheme, in which, any fortune of over five million would be confiscated and shared among the American people; this would supposedly help restart the economy. Francis Townsend was famous for starting the ‘Townsend Plan’, to appose the New deal. The Townsend Plan called for a guaranteed monthly of $200, though all of it would have had to of been spent after that month. Alongside these critics, there were the people who said FDR did too much. These mostly were; Republicans, Businessmen and Anti-socialists. Republicans wanted to return to Americas ‘Rugged Individualism and argued that the New Deal made people to dependant. Some American businessmen did not want the government interfering in their affairs and objected to trade unions, and anti-socialists believed that FDR was leading America into socialism.
FDRs second New Deal was to answer the critics. This time round, FDR had had time to think more deeply into what he was doing as it was not as rushed or as emergency as the other. The second New Deal was more radical and did more to change quality of life. FDR also brought in the Wagner act and the social security act, to protect the rights of workers. FDR may also have designed his new deal for maximum popularity so that he would be far more likely to win in the 1936 elections against some of his main rivals. FDR did win the election, and went on to be president for four terms.
In 1937, FDR believed that the economy had fully recovered, so he reduced the amount of money put into the New Deal. America then went into rapid recession, conditions in some places got to as bad as they had been in the early 1930’s and unemployment rose again to 10million. This is one of the main criticisms of FDR and the New Deal.
Though FDR did a lot to help the American economy and improve the lives of the American people, there is still another factor that could have been mainly responsible for ending the depression. WWII broke out in 1939, and helped boost American Industry so much so that many believe that it is why the lives of Americans improved so when FDR was president. Without the Second World War, American economy may not have recovered after the recession in 1937.
In conclusion, FDR and the New Deals he imposed helped millions of people and changed millions of lives, though WWII is more likely to be the reason that America improved so dramatically. It created demand for different products, created jobs for soldiers and for factory workers and boosted industry. What FDR did to help America helped in many different ways but without the Second World War, it may have taken many more years of suffering on the part of the American people for the depression to well and truly be over.