Was the New Deal a Success ?

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Was the New Deal A Success ?

) People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 elections because during his election campaign (source A) he told America what they wanted to hear. America was suffering from terrible economic depression and President Hoover was doing little to help the poor and unemployed because he believed that people should help themselves rather than rely on the government. As he came from a poor background and worked his way up to presidency Hoover thought that anyone could do what he did. Roosevelt promised the American people that together they would restore America. He told them that he needed their help not to win votes but to win this battle of depression.

"Give me your help, not to win votes alone, but to win this crusade and restore America."

Roosevelt told the public that he would carry on fighting against the problems and depression in America.

"I am waging war against Destruction, Delay, Deceit and Despair"

Roosevelt seemed confident that the New Deal would be a success but he needed the publics support. I believe that the public also supported Roosevelt because they had nothing to loose the New Deal was a new approach in solving this nightmare.

2) After studying both sources B and C on the New Deal it is clear that source B has a more positive judgement on the New deal and source C has a more negative judgement.

Source B starts the extract by saying that the New Deal restored America's self- confidence and gave the people hope. But source C starts of the extract by saying that people depended on employment and the national debt had rise from $19 billion to $250 billion. It also says that inflation has doubled and reduced the lower paid to poverty. But source B says that Roosevelt had introduced unemployment assistance as well as old-age pensions and banned child labour.

The Roosevelt Myth (source C) tells the reader that Roosevelt demanded more power and took away the power of Congress. The writer suggests that this resulted into a dictatorial government. The Judgement of an American historian says the complete opposite. "The charge that Roosevelt had been a dictator was not true."

Source B informs the reader that Roosevelt Dust Bowl plan had saved the soil, forests and water that were being destroyed. This gained employment as well as rescuing nature. Source C suggests that the only way Roosevelt had tackled unemployment was by leading his country to war as this put every man and woman into work.

The Roosevelt Myth tells the reader that 1938 spoiled Roosevelt's reputation because taxes and unemployment were rising and the "debt was soaring" yet Source B tells the reader that the government had gone from strength to strength. "There was the strengthening of the government and the expansion of government activities to help people".

It obvious that people had different opinions on the New Deal after reading these two sources but it is noticeable that source B had a very positive view and source C had a negative view. No matter what peoples views were the "New Deal" changed America forever.

3) After studying source D it is clear that the photographer was trying t give the message that black people benefited the least from the new deal. The poster in the background is from the government showing a happy white family in a car with a caption saying, "There's no way like the American way". They seem to be quite wealthy as they are driving an American car and they have a dog. There is another caption on top of the poster saying "Worlds highest standard of living". Yet there is a large queue of black people lining up for government relief. This suggests that all the people in the queue are all unemployed. The photographer is trying to show that the black population of America is not benefiting from the New deal. In some areas black unemployment was 50% greater than white unemployment. Before Roosevelt came into power both farmers and black people has economic problems but Roosevelt seemed to be only tackling the farming problem by setting up the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) and did nothing to help the black people of America. The photograph is anti-governmental propaganda and the poster is government propaganda, it is effective because of this and it shows that the New deal wasn't what Roosevelt had promised.
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4) Source E is a cartoon from an American newspaper in the 1939s. It shows a fat man who is supposed to be Roosevelt working a pump to get the economy going. A man labelled tax payer is giving Roosevelt buckets of water with the dollar sign on it and one saying " 7 thousand million more". Roosevelt is putting water down the pump but it is leaking. There is a speech bubble coming out of Roosevelt's mouth saying, " I hope this will work". But nothing is coming out of the tap labelled "The new deal". The ...

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