The Reflation and Relief Chapter four is an overview of the New Deal. President Roosevelt’s signature program was the New Deal. It saved the banking industry, put people back to work, and lifted the country’s morale during the worst economic times. What is overlooked is President Roosevelt’s constant connection to the American people. His fireside chats were reassuring to the American people. He explained why it was necessary to implement specific programs—to reduce the fear and anxiety of the American people, who were not used to having big government intruding into their lives.
He explained why it was necessary to take the dollar off the gold standard. He tackled the unemployment issue by giving relief to the states in the Emergency Relief and Construction Act. The federal government would fund the states. The states then gave the money to people out of work. Roosevelt was concerned about the youth and created the Civilian Conversation Corps. It gave work in planting trees, building bridges, and other public works projects. It gave discipline and dignity to a forgotten sector of the population. He attacked the quality of life issues by creating programs that put money in people while at the same time developing the infrastructure of the country. These programs were not popular with conservatives and did not immediately cure the ills of the Great Depression. He uplifted the American spirit and hoped for the ordinary person.
Roosevelt used the width of his dominion to deal with the devaluing of the currency. Oddly, benefited the farmers. Since the Great Depression, farmers were one of the hardest hit. The price of their crops dropped so low that it was difficult to pay their bills. Many lost their farms and were homeless. The dollar’s value fell, which made the price of cotton and grain rise. This bump in price allowed farmers to meet their financial responsibilities.
Roosevelt was the polar opposite of President Hoover. Hoover believed that the hands-off approach was better with minimal government interference. It allowed big business to correct itself. This view did not help the morale of the helpless people living in poverty. When Roosevelt got elected, he understood that the government could not sit on the sidelines while people suffered. He also understood that emotional health was crucial as any government program. He used the radio on a regular and frequent basis to communicate. The American people heard from the man at the government’s top that everything would be all right.
A fine post. Some have argued, however, that Hoover and FDR were not so much “polar opposites,” in that Hoover also experimented and was willing to use the power of government (albeit in a more restrained way) to meet the challenges of the Great Depression… but was seemingly a victim of too little, too late.
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