The Great Depression and the New Deal, 1933–1939

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from The Great Depression and the New Deal (1933–1939).

The Great Depression

A severe worldwide economic downturn in the 1930s marked by mass unemployment and poverty, prompting New Deal reforms.

The New Deal

Roosevelt’s program of relief, recovery, and reform to combat the Great Depression.

Three Rs (Relief, Recovery, Reform)

The goals guiding New Deal legislation: provide relief, restore recovery, and reform the economy.

Brain Trust

A group of reform-minded intellectuals who advised FDR and helped draft New Deal policies.

Hundred Days

The first 100 days of Roosevelt’s presidency (March–June 1933) when Congress enacted many New Deal measures.

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)

A program employing about 3 million young men in conservation camps.

NRA (National Recovery Administration)

Agency that issued codes of fair competition and promoted workers’ rights to organize; symbol was the blue eagle; later struck down in Schechter v. United States.

PWA (Public Works Administration)

Program funding thousands of infrastructure projects to stimulate recovery.

HOLC (Home Owners’ Loan Corporation)

Refinanced mortgages to prevent foreclosures.

AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act)

Paid farmers to reduce crop acreage to raise prices and stabilize farm income.

TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)

Federal project to develop the Tennessee Valley with dams, power, flood control, and regional reform.

SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)

Agency created to regulate the securities industry and enforce truthful disclosure.

Federal Securities Act (Truth in Securities Act)

Required promoters to provide sworn information to investors to curb fraud.

Glass‑Steagall Banking Reform Act

Separated commercial and investment banking and established FDIC insurance.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)

Insured bank deposits (initially up to $5,000) to restore confidence in banks.

Emergency Banking Relief Act

Authorized the government to regulate banks and reopen solvent banks during a banking holiday.

Bank Holiday

March 6–10, 1933; nationwide pause in banking to stabilize the system.

FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration)

Provided about $3 billion in direct relief or wages to the unemployed.

CWA (Civil Works Administration)

Temporary jobs program created in late 1933 to provide short-term work.

WPA (Works Progress Administration)

Massive program (1935–1939) that funded public works and supported arts and culture.

Social Security Act (1935)

Provided unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and aid to disabled and dependent persons.

Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act) (1935)

Protected workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively; created the NLRB.

NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)

Agency that administers the Wagner Act and oversees collective bargaining.

CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations)

Labor union formed within the AFL (1935) to organize unskilled workers; later merged with AFL in 1955.

Fair Labor Standards Act (Wages and Hours Act, 1938)

Established minimum wage, maximum-hour standards, and limited child labor in many industries.

USHA (United States Housing Authority)

Agency created to lend money for low-cost public housing (1937 extension of housing programs).

FHA (Federal Housing Administration)

Insured mortgages and promoted housing standards to stimulate home buying.

Indian Reorganization Act (1934)

Ended or reversed parts of the Dawes Act; promoted tribal self-government and preservation of culture.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought and wind erosion in the Great Plains during the early 1930s, causing massive agricultural devastation.

Okies/Arkies

Dust Bowl refugees who relocated to California seeking work.

Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck’s novel about Dust Bowl migrants illustrating the era’s hardship.

Frazier‑Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act (1934)

Suspended farm foreclosures for up to five years; later struck down, revised to a three-year grace period.

Resettlement Administration (RA)

Agency created to move distressed farmers to better land and reduce rural poverty.

Beer and Wine Revenue Act (1933)

Legalized beer and wine; imposed taxes and allowed 3.2% beer by weight.

Twenty‑First Amendment (1933)

Repealed Prohibition, ending the 18th Amendment's nationwide ban on alcohol.

Gold Reserve Act (1934)

Devalued the dollar and ordered gold purchases; moved the U.S. away from the gold standard for domestic purposes.

Court‑packing plan (1937)

Roosevelt’s proposal to appoint additional Supreme Court justices to obtain a pro‑New Deal majority; faced strong opposition.

Switch in time saves nine

Justice Roberts’s shift in 1937 toward upholding New Deal legislation, altering Court dynamics.

Hatch Act (1939)

Restricted political activity by federal employees; expanded in 1940 to curb campaigning with relief funds.

New Deal coalition

Broad political alliance that supported Roosevelt—south, urban poor, labor, blacks, Jews, and immigrants—for decades.

Brain Trust influence on policy

Intellectuals who helped shape New Deal reforms and legislation.