The impact of the new deal and the second world war on the USA to 1945

What was the failures of the new deals?

- Didnt achieve complete reform or recovery (see roosevelt depression)

- Didnt help black americans who were excluded from many alphabet agencies

- Didnt help women who were also excluded from alphabet agencies or campaigned for a gender pay gap

- Large businesses were still powerful despite the wagner act and NIRA regulations

- Many jobs were temporary, unemployme t rose 19% when ND funding was cut in 1937

Native americans Pre-New deal problems

- Land was given to them in 1887 through the DAwes severalty act

- Citizenship granted to some

- By 1934 only 1/3 of that land remained ownded by natives, the rest sold for speculation or for oil extraction

-Left NA populations with poor agricultural quality land (Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne) or in the desert (Navajo)

1934 Indian Reorganisation act

- Organised by the underfunded bureau of indian affairs

- NA tribes allowed to organise into self governing bodies with an elected tribal council

- Able to write their own constitutions and enforce their own laws e.g. Pine Ridge reservation forbade the sale of alcohol long after prohibition was overturned.

- 75/245 Tribes rejected this act, as they didn't want further government intervention

- Alphabet agencies were encouraged to help relieve unemployment after the act was passed.

Hispanic americans and the new deals impacts

- Predominantly agricultural workers

- Many deported when GD hit (600,000 in 1930 down to 400,000 in 1940)

- Many ND policies excluded migrant workers so offered no relief to these communities

- AAA caused reduction in production and therefore workers were laid off, ethnic minorities were the first to go.

Factors that illustrate that the new deal had been successful at recovering the economy by 1940s

- Creation of the rural electrification administration brought electricity to 40% of the nations farmers and enabled new industries to locate to rural areas

- CCC had a large environmental impact, developed national parks by building roads and planting trees, many roads still in use today

- TVA developed regional infrastructure making the tennessee river navigable. Hydroelectric power provided by the dams also

- WPA built 2,500 hospitals, 5,900 schools, 350 airports, 570,000 miles of roads and 8,000 parks

- 1940 number of 17 year olds graduating increased by 30%, Universities grew from 1,400 to 1,700

- Trade union membership had increased to 26.9% of the workforce.

Factors that illustrate that the new deal was unsuccessful at recovering the economy by the 1940s

- 1939 20% of americans received government relief, 75% of those had been out of work for 6 years

- Alphabet agencies like the PWA offered Boondoggle jobs such as scaring away pigeons from public parks

- During the roosevelt recession industrial production fell by 33% and nearly 4 million lost their jobs.

- 1939 the top 5 corporations in the USA controlled 84.5% of all income generated by businesses, similar to 1929.

- Farm acerage under cultivation had not really increased (only by 50 million in 10 years

- Roosevelt made sharp vuts to federal expenditure with its contribution to purchasing power falling from 4.1 Bn dollars to under 1 bn in 1 year

- FDRs decision to focus on domestic solutions prolonged the global depression and reduced US exports

- Despite population growing by 9 million, the income was 12.9 Bn dollars less in 1939 than 1929

- Unemployment was still consistently above 14%.

Eleanor roosevelt's role in the ND

- First Lady

- Held 348 press conferences in the ND

- Good public rapport, encouraged letter writing, leading to over 300,000 written to her

- Had her own regular article called 'My day'

- Travelled 300k miles to meet everyday americans and listen to their problems.

- Encouraged FDR to appoint more women

- 1936 campaigned for 'she she she' camps (female division of the CCC) 90 camps were built for 5000 women a year

- Helped create the national youth association

- Strong advocate for African American rights

- Approval raring of 63% vs her husbands 58%

Frances Perkins role in the ND

- 1st female cabinet member in march 1933

- Secretary of labour until june 1945

- Played a pivotal role in the creation of the CCC

- created the Social security act

- Helped pass federal minimum wage legislation

Mary McLeod Bethunes role in the ND

- Special advisor for FDR on minority affairs

- Founded her own civil rights organisation 'National council of Negro women'

- Chair person of the informal 'black cabinet'

- Demanded that black youth recieved federal aid in numbers that reflected the proportion of the population, but was unsuccessful

- Director of the 'Negro affairs' division of the national youth administration

Positive impacts of the ND for women

- She she she camps established by eleanor roosevelt, mirrored CCC camps for men

- Mary McLeod Bethune was very successful secretary of laboour, played a role in establishing CCC and helped pass federal minimum wage

- Bethune and perkins show that there are opportunities for women

- Roosevelt was a role modek and very successful woman who championed women and ethnic minorities

- Frances Perkins, first female cabinet member who crafted the social security act 1935

Negatives impacts of the ND for women

- Women only made up a small percentage of participants in CCC scheme

- Bethune and Perkins are isolated examples and do not represent all women

- In rural areas women's lives remained the same and they received very little federal help. women were not included in many work programmes.

- Eleanor roosevelt is a very rare example and has the benefit of coming from a very wealthy background and being married to the president.

Positives of the new deal for African Americans

- Some african americans benefited from new housing provision and job-creation schemes

- 200,000 African americans gained benefits from the CCC

- Some sharecroppers were able to own their land due to the AAA

- The new deal boosted trade union movement and many african americans joined unions

- many african americans benefited from new housing projects

- WPA gave 350,000 jobs to black Americans each year for 4 years (had quotas)

Negatives of the new deal for african americans

- Depression made the lives of african americans worse as many jobs previously done by them were taken by white people

- 1931 - 33% of black americans in southern cities were unemployed

- 1940 census showed that only 1/20 black males were employed in a white collar occupation compared to 1/3 white males

- Many new deal agencies discrimnated against african americans, they either got no work or recieved worse pay and conditions

- FDR failed to pass laws against lynching

- FDR did nothing to stop disenfranchisement and segregation

- NRA forced the shutdown of many small black owned buisnesses

- AAA caused 1 million african american tenant farmers to be evicted

- TVA created new model town, however it was only for white people

- CCC had segregated camps

Impact of ww2 on hispanic americans

- 500,000 joined the military and were not segregated from white coworkers

- 17,000 found employment in Los Angeles shipyards by 1944

- Discrimination in oil companies (denied training and promotion)

Impact of ww2 on Native Americans

- 25,000 joined the army and were not segregated

- Navajo people used language as a code

- Many worked in industry and were forced to abandon traditional lifestyles, leading to a long term loss of culture

Impact of ww2 on japanese americans

- Executive order 9066 (allowed anyone who 'threatened national security' could be evacuated to an internment camps, however it was only enacted to japanese americans, following pearl harbour)

- Conditions within these internment camps were terrible (117,000 JAs in them, 2/3 of which were american born, Barrack type accomodation with guards)

- Impact on the japanese community ( When camps were dissolved in 1944, many returned to homes that had been looted , Government only provided these people with $25 and a train ticket to their original homes)

WW2 impact on African americans - Double V campaign

- Initiated by the 'Philidelphia courier' in february 1942

- Victory against nazis and over prejudice and discrimination at home

- featured patriotic articles, promotion of war bonds and celebrity endorsement

- 88% of citizens agreed that civil rights should not be delayed until after the war

- CRE (campaign for racial economy) was founded in 1942 and encouraged peaceful protests

WW2 impact on African americans - race riots

- Series of RRs in 47 cities, culmunating in 3 days of violence in detriot in June 1943

- 25 Black and 9 white people killed

- Occured over disagreements if a housing settlement should be all-white or all-black

- August 1943 - Black man shot by white police officer leading to 3000 people attacking white owned businesses ($250-300,000 worth destroyed)

WW2 impact on African americans - Role in US army

- By 1945, 1.2 million black americans enlisted in the military

- segregation remained, however 25 warships were integrated due to manpower shortages

- 17,000 african americans landed on the beaches of D-day in June 1944

- Home front - 1 million black americans moved north but wre denied skilled jobs

WW2 impact on african americans - Growth of civil rights movement

- March on washington called for in 1941 (threat of 250,000 people marching)

- Worried Roosevelt

- executive order 8802 (June 1941) banned discrimination on defense plants and set up the FEPC to ensure it was carried out

- Black american workforce in defense plants rose 4%

- FEPC took budget rise to $500,000 and offered full time jobs

Ww2 impact on cinema and actors

- Actors were exempt from service due to their role in propaganda production

- Some chose to serve (James Stewart served in air force)

- Actors sold war bonds ( Dorothy Lamour sold $350 million) (september 1942 'bond blitz' $800 million sold by 300 actors who worked 18 hour days promoting them)

- Actors like marlene dietrech entertained troops in the Hollywood canteen

Office of war information

- Set up to film wartime activity

- Led to documentaries produced by John Ford to celebrate the war effort

- War movies were more realistic as they didnt wish to patronise audiences of vets or family members

Hollywood in ww2 and escapism

- Musicals became popular, featuring glamourous singers and dancers like Betty Gabler

- Comedy became very popular also (Bob hope)

- Morale was boosted b y painting the home front in a positive light (The more the merrier - 1943)

Disney and ww2

- 90% of workers worked on training films, creating over 68 hours of footage

- 'Der Fuhrers face' starred donald duck as an oppressed worker in nazi germany and won the 1938 oscar for best animation

- Disney studios were so essential to USA war effort, they were granted military protection