The New Deal Roosevelts Election The 1932 Presidential

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 Mc. Cormick 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)