Chapter 32: The Great Depression and the New Deal (1933-1939)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

32nd President who served 4 terms (1933-1945)

• led nation through Great Depression and WWII

Elanor Roosevelt

Wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt

• redefined role of First Lady

  • active political / social advocate

New Deal

FDR’s ambitious plan to combat the Great Depression

• 3 main objectives

  • relief

  • recovery

  • reform

Hundred Days Congress

Extraordinary legislative session in 1933

• FDR and Congress passed flurry of laws to address Great Depression

  • EBRA, AAA, NRA

Civilian Conservation Corps

New Deal program to provide jobs for unemployed young men during Great Depression

• environmental conservation projects

  • reforestation

  • soil erosion control

  • national park maintenance

Father Coughlin

Catholic priest and controversial radio broadcaster

• initially supported FDR then became his harshest critic

  • believed FDR didn’t do enough for working class

Huey Long

Louisiana Politician and populist leader (Governor and later US Senator)

• powerful political machine

  • help the poor by redistributing wealth

• assassinated in 1935

National Recovery Administration

Cornerstone of New Deal created in 1933

• stabilize industry and boost economic recovery

  • codes of fair competition

    • fair wages

    • fair hours

    • fair unionizing

Public Works Administration

Large-scale public works program

• provide jobs and stimulate economic recovery

  • roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, dams

Agricultural Adjustment Administration

Combat agricultural overproduction and low crop price

• destroy crops and livestock to raise farm income

  • controversial

Dust Bowl

Environmental and economic disaster that devastated farmers across Great Plains

• severe drought and poor agricultural practices

Tennessee Valley Authority

New Deal Program aimed at modernizing Tennessee River Valley

• one of poorest regions in US

• provided

  • jobs

  • dams

  • electricity

Social Security Act of 1935

federal retirement pension system for elderly Americans

• unemployment insurance + aid for disabled individuals and dependent children

Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

Nationwide labor protections

• federal minimum wage, maximum work hours, child labor restrictions

• improve conditions for American workers

Congress of Industrial Organizations

Labor Union federation focused on organizing industrial workers

• unionize all workers, regardless of skill