Monday, November 10, 2014

What are the successes and failures of the New Deal.

The avowed purposes of the New Deal were Relief, Recovery
and Reform. Among its successes were the institution of Social Security, the creation of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as well as the Tennessee Valley Authority,
and restoration of confidence in the banking system. It gave people hope at a time when
there was little, and gave people work at a time when it was most needed. Minimum
standards for labor and public welfare were established; and middle class families were
helped to keep their homes, savings and farms. Additionally, the government assumed
responsibility for insuring the nations economic and social
stability.


The New Deal did not end the Great Depression;
it only provided relief during the worst days of that dark time. Several of its
programs, including the Agricultural Adjustment Act and the National Recovery Act were
declared unconstitutional by a very unfriendly Supreme Court.  Additionally, the
institution of Keynesian economic policies upset the federal budget and greatly
increased the federal debt. Finally, the New Deal did little for minorities. Fearful of
offending Southern Democrats, Franklin Roosevelt segregated most New Deal Programs and
exempted domestic help from the Social Security program.

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