Introduction
The Era of New Deals during the United States president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s term was characterized by the enactment and ratification of numerous acts, laws, and establishments focused what government officials call during that time as the 3R—Relief, recovery, and Reform. Majority of the programs ratified during this era were economic programs. Fortunately, the then President, and other bodies of the government involved in the approval of programs embraced the idea that encouraging a pro-spending attitude within the government would be one of the best ways to raise the United States from Ashes after being greatly devastated economically by the Great Depression. This paper will analyze the different economic programs enacted in the New Deals era, focusing on the most and the least effective ones in uplifting the quality of life of Americans during that time.
The Civilian Conservations Corps (CCC)
Among all economic programs enacted during the era of New Deals, the CCC or the Civilian Conservations Corps was by far, the most brilliant. There were several factors that I considered in identifying the most effective and brilliant economic program during that time. The first factor was the ability of the program to heighten the morale of the people at a time when majority of them were in a highly devastated state; secondly, the ability of the program to produce results; and lastly, the overall formulation of the goal, whether it was SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound) at that time.
As a brief overview of what CCC was all about. It was basically one of the numerous economic programs that former U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt tried so hard to pursue, focusing on being a work relief program that lasted for up to 10 years (1933 to 1943) in the U.S. The federal government provided real working opportunities for the unemployed, unmarried men by starting large scale and numerous projects concentrated on the areas of structural improvements, transportation, erosion control, flood control, forest culture preservation, forest protection, construction and maintenance of landscapes and recreational infrastructures, range, wildlife and environment preservation, and miscellaneous projects such as emergency works and even disease control and prevention. According to the then president, by investing large funds and effort—from the workers, for this program, some 250,000 men will be able to provide food, and other basic human necessities for themselves and for their families in a period of economic turmoil, and at the same time, the program would, in time, lead to a more prudent development of the United States’ resources.
The Public Works Administration (PWA)
Compared to the other economic programs that the Roosevelt administration had enacted during the Era of New Deal, I find the PWA or the Public Works Administration to be the least effective in improving the quality and way of life of the Americans during that time and also the least remarkable. Firstly, it simply served as a stimulus package that the government released in the form of funds for public works such as bridges, dams, schools, hospitals, and other public infrastructures at a time when the government and its people needed to have a pro-spending attitude that would mobilize economic activities and would bring the United States’ economy back to its own track before the Great Depression. It did no encourage the people to work in exchange of wages which they could use to feed and sustain the needs of their family, and it did not benefit the poor, the unemployed, and the unskilled unlike how the other economic programs of its batch did. The government, under this economic program, relied on private contractors for the completion of the project. While the private contractors may need to employ American workers because of the surges in demand for skills and labor, the workers that would be recruited would most likely be professional workers and not those who really need to have a job so that they could sustain the needs of their families. Sure, at some point it helped the government recover from the devastating losses it suffered from after the Great Depression but not in any way near the other economic programs extent of relief.
Conclusion
All of the economic programs definitely helped the United States economy after the Great Depression grew and come back to business. It is just that other program turned out to be more effective and uplifting than others. There is no doubt that if not for these economic programs, the number of affected people and the extent of the affectation would have been worse. Overall, the CCC proved to be the one that had worked out well compared to the PWA.
Works Cited
Faragher, J., et al. "Out of Many Volume 1, Brief Sixth Edition." Prentice Hall (2003).
