Question: How did the New Deal change the relationship between individuals and the federal government? How did the role of the federal government change during the 1930s?
The 1930s were the times when the American society experienced one of the major shocks of the century – the Great Depression. People were still enjoying prosperity of the “roaring” twenties when suddenly the banks began to fail and stock market crash. This marked the beginning of a new era of unemployment, low profits, poverty and deflation that lasted for nearly ten years.
Answer:
The New Deal did not end the Depression, but for the first time in crisis people felt governmental support and trusted the president. In his inaugural speech of 1932, the newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt promised to take serious actions and recover the economy, he said: “Give me your help, not to win votes alone, but to win in this crusade to restore America to its own people." Well educated, FDR kept his word and started to implement governmental programs to cure the society from the Great Depression. This program focused on the three Rs which were recovery, relief and reform, and it came in two parts, phase one and phase two. There were several programs, but the most important ones were those to get men back into productive work as unemployment hit millions of people, and they had no means to live. Started by President Hoover, FDR continued to create jobs for unskilled people. Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration are among the other similar ones. The federal government had to intervene into many areas in order to avoid further problems. The government changed its approach to look at the society when it realized that the previous Hoover’s administration found itself helpless to cope with the crisis. One of the major alterations in the government was softening of laissez-faire principle, “hands free” economy, and several times it even led to slow the economic recovery. On the social level, the New Deal recognized that people need help and should not bear the responsibility alone.
Some researchers tend to believe that the New Deal measures were too radical; however, in the long-term it could reach its goal to lead out of the recession and boost the economy.
Citation: Franklin D. Roosevelt:"Address at Madison Square Garden, New York City," October 31, 1936.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15219.
