Changing political environment 1933-45

National Recovery Administration

• Set up and enforced codes of practice for businesses, including setting working hours and a minimum wage

• Businesses could choose not to join the NRA → the public were encouraged to support businesses that displayed the NRA symbol of a blue eagle in their windows

Agricultural Adjustment Agency

• Regulated the major crops, such as wheat, cotton and milk

• Bought up surplus crops and subsidised farmers to grow less of crops that were being overproduced

1935 Wagner Act

Guaranteed private-sector workers the right to organize, join unions, and engage in collective bargaining while prohibiting unfair labour practices by employers

Enlarging the presidency

• Hoover - three assistants and some secretaries

• Roosevelt - created Executive Office of the President, which had several departments to deal with administration

‘Off record’ press meetings

• Held twice a week

• Select reporters invited to the White House

• Press felt involved but could not always directly quote him on policy

Popularity

Elected for an unprecedented four terms

Opposition

During the 1940 presidential campaign, some opponents compared him to dictators like Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin

Roosevelt and the Supreme Court

• In 1937, the NRA and AAA were ruled as unconstitutional

• As a result, he proposed to add a new judge for every judge over 70 (6/9)

Legacy

• Truman’s Fair Deal

• Kenney’s New Frontier

1941 Lend-Lease Act

• Congress wouldn’t approve Roosevelt’s overruling the Neutrality Acts to let Britain have the supplies on credit → theoretically lent Britain supplies, to be returned after the war

• By the end of the war, the value of lend-lease supplies was $51 billion

Destroyers-for-bases

Allowed Roosevelt to give Britain 50 naval destroyers in return for the use of bases in British-held countries

War economy

• Within a year of the outbreak of war, the USA had produced $47 billion worth of war goods

• Industry profits rose from $17 million in 1940 to $28 million in 1943

Human cost

Of 16 million who went to fight, 400,000 died and 600,000 were wounded or captured

1944 GI Bill

Supported 12 million veterans by providing financial assistance for education, housing and job training