Great Depression/New Deal and WWII

Great Depression/New Deal

The economic crisis of the 1930s led to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (FDR) policies aimed at relief, recovery, and reform.

“Laissez-Faire” economic policies

The government's hands

Expansion of credit and consumer goods

Overreliance on credit fueled economic instability in the 1920s.

Immigration Act 1924

Restricted immigration, particularly from Southern and Eastern Europe and Asia.

Kellogg Briand Pact

The 1928 treaty renouncing war as a national policy.

Dawes Plan

U.S. plan to restructure Germany’s WWI reparations.

FDR & “new deal for the American people”

FDR’s promise to combat the Great Depression with government intervention.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

FDR’s inaugural address, promoting confidence.

GDP during Great Depression

Drastically declined, leading to mass unemployment and poverty.

Dust Bowl

Severe drought in the 1930s devastated farms, worsening economic hardships.

Hoover’s response to the Great Crash

Relied on voluntary action, limited government intervention

Banking crisis

Massive bank failures led to the Banking Holiday and reforms.

FDR’s “fireside chats”

Radio broadcasts to reassure the public.

New Deal goals: relief, recovery, reform

Aid for the poor, economic revival, and financial regulation.

Keynesian economics

Advocated for government spending to boost demand.

Federal Emergency Relief Administration FERA

Provided direct relief to unemployed Americans.

Public Works Administration PWA

Funded large infrastructure projects to create jobs.

Civilian Conservation Corps CCC

Gave young men conservation work.

Agricultural Adjustment Act AAA

Aimed to stabilize agriculture by reducing crop surplus.

Tennessee Valley Authority TVA

Developed the Tennessee Valley with dams and electricity.

National Recovery Administration NRA

Set fair wages and work hours but was later ruled unconstitutional.

Huey Long

Proposed radical wealth redistribution

Liberty League

Opposed the New Deal as government overreach.

Dr. Francis Townsend

Advocated for pensions for the elderly.

Share Our Wealth Program

Huey Long’s populist economic plan.

EPIC Plan

Upton Sinclair’s proposal for state-run cooperatives.

Securities and Exchange Commission SEC

Regulated the stock market.

Works Progress Administration WPA

Created jobs in public works and arts projects.

Wagner Act/National Labor Relations Board NLRB

Protected workers' right to unionize.

Social Security Act

Established unemployment insurance and pensions.

Rural Electrification Administration

Brought electricity to rural areas.The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was established to provide federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve rural areas, thus improving the quality of life and economic opportunities in those regions.

New Deal Coalition

Democratic support from labor unions, minorities, and liberals.

“Court packing” plan

FDR’s failed attempt to add Supreme Court justices.

Conservative coalition

Opposed further government expansion.

African Americans and the New Deal

Gained some opportunities but faced discrimination.

Indian Reorganization Act (1934)

Encouraged Native American self - governance.

Immigration policies – Continued restrictions from the 1924 Act.

Eleanor Roosevelt – Advocate for civil rights and social welfare.

Frances Perkins – First female Secretary of Labor, key in New Deal programs.

World War II

US Neutrality Acts (1935, 1936) – Prohibited arms sales to warring nations.

“Cash and Carry” (1937, 1939) – Allowed nations to buy U.S. goods if they paid upfront and transported them.

Destroyer Deal – U.S. traded destroyers for British naval bases.

Selective Service Act – First peacetime draft in U.S. history.

Lend

Lease Program – Supplied Allies with weapons and aid.

Evian Conference – International meeting on Jewish refugees, with little action taken.

Wagner Bill – Proposed accepting Jewish refugee children; was not passed.

S.S. St. Louis – Ship carrying Jewish refugees denied entry to the U.S.

Atlantic Charter – FDR and Churchill’s vision for postwar peace.

Four Freedoms Speech – FDR’s ideals: freedom of speech, worship, want, and fear.

Embargo Act (Japan) – Restricted exports to Japan before Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor & FDR Speech – December 7, 1941, attack led to U.S. entry into WWII.

War Refugee Board (1944) – Helped rescue Jews from Nazi persecution.

Key Figures

FDR – Led the U.S. through most of WWII.

Harry S. Truman – Became president in 1945, ordered atomic bombings.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower – Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

General Douglas MacArthur – Led the Pacific campaign.

Eleanor Roosevelt – Supported human rights and war efforts.

Major Warfronts

Atlantic Charter – Basis for Allied goals.

Eastern Front – Soviet Union vs. Germany.

Western Front – Allied invasion of Nazi

occupied Europe.

Pacific Front – War against Japan.

D

Day/Normandy – June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of France.

“Island hopping” – U.S. strategy in the Pacific.

Coral Sea, Midway – Key turning points in the Pacific.

Iwo Jima & Okinawa – Paved the way for a mainland invasion of Japan.

The Holocaust & War’s End

Holocaust – Genocide of six million Jews.