Great Depression relief, recovery, and reform programs

Farm Board

A relief program that helped farmers stabilize prices by temporarily holding surplus grain and cotton in storage. It was unsuccessful because they were too modest to handle continued overproduction of farm goods.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation

A recovery program that provided liquidity to and restored the confidence in the banking system. It was a success because the benefits went to smaller businesses and brought recovery.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

A reform that established an insurance program for deposits in many banks. It was successful because it maintained public confidence in the banking system.

Rural Electrification Administration

A recovery that encouraged the delivery of electricity to rural areas. It was a success because it transformed agriculture and life in rural America into productivity and prosperity.

Public Works Administration

A relief program that provided public-works jobs for many of those needing relief. It was a success because it reduced unemployment.

Civilian Corps Conservation

A relief program that provided jobs on conservation projects to young men whose families needed relief. It was a success because they planted many trees.

Tennessee Valley Authority

A relief program that built dams, operated electric power plants, controlled flooding and erosion, and manufactured fertilizer. It was successful because it generated and sold surplus electricity, created jobs, and conserved water power.

National Recovery Administration

A recovery program that had a goal was to eliminate "cut-throat competition" by bringing industry, labor and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices. It was a failure because it was declared unconstitutional.

Works Progress Administration

A relief program that provided people with jobs. This was a success because it employed 3.5 mil people.

National Labor Relations (Wagner) Act

A reform that allowed workers to join and form unions. It was a success because it outlawed business practices unfair to labor and guaranteed workers the right to join a union.

Fair Labor Standards Act

A reform that established minimum wages and maximum hours for many workers. This was successful because it improved labor standards and working conditions.

Social Security Act

This was a reform program that provided for unemployment insurance, old-age insurance, and means-tested welfare programs. This was successful because it created federal insurance.

Indian Reorganization (Wheeler-Howard) Act

This reform conserved and developed Indian lands and resources, extended the right to form business and other organizations, established a credit system for Indians, granted certain rights of home rule to Indians, provided for vocational education. This was a success because it improved the political, economic, social conditions of Native Americans.

Glass-Steagall Banking Reform Act

A reform that effectively separated commercial banking from investment banking and created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Not successful because it was restricted to international transactions, Americans couldn’t exchange dollars to gold.

Agriculture Adjustment Act

A relief that encouraged farmers to cut production in return for a subsidy. This wasn’t successful because it was declared unconstitutional.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration

A relief that provided grants to states for direct relief to the needy. It was successful because it distributed $3.1 bil, and employed more than 20 mil people.

Civil Works Administration

This relief provided public-works jobs for many of those needing relief. This was a success because it created jobs.

Federal Writers Project

This relief funded written work and supported writers during the Great Depression. It was a success because it provided jobs to unemployed writers, editors, and research workers.

National Youth Administration

A relief that provided work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. This was a success because it helped 4.5 mil young people find jobs, get vo tech training, and offered higher standards of education.

Repeal of prohibition

This reform repealed the 18th amendment. This was successful because it ended the 18th a

Bank Holidays

This recovery ordered all banks in the United States closed until government audits declared them solvent. This was a success because it restored confidence in the financial system.