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The New Deal

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The unemployment rate during the Great Depression reached a high of 24.9%! How do you solve such an issue? Well, the answer was certainly not Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Great Depression was a tragedy that started on October 29, 1929, and put millions of Americans out of work. Franklin Delano Roosevelt devised a plan to solve the problems of the Great Depression; this was called the New Deal. The New Deal provided American people with a series of social and economic programs that were meant to provide jobs for Americans. The New Deal did not create “a more perfect union” due to a disorganized government and Roosevelt’s broken promises.

The government during the New Deal was unorganized. The Great Depression was a complex problem that required an educated plan for a solution. “Roosevelt did not follow any particular policy until after 1936” (Raymond Moley, page 92.) To have the weight of an entire country on your shoulder and not follow a plan is outrageous. Once Roosevelt crafted a plan, “Roosevelt also moved with a snail like slowness towards resolving the contradictions besetting his administrations economic policies” (Domestic and Foreign Policy, page 1.) The Great Depression needed to be solved as soon as possible, and Roosevelt did just the opposite. In fact, “nothing he has ever started has been finished” (Sam T Mayhew, page 92.) It is clear that the government during the new deal was flawed and unorganized. A government with this many flaws would have a hard time accomplishing anything, let alone solving the great depression.

Roosevelt promised “A New Deal for Americans.” The promise he made was broken. The history of the New Deal was not explained clearly. Most of the reporters during the New Deal were New Dealers themselves! These reporters were on the government payroll. (The New Deal Achieved Little, page 86) These reporters didn’t record the failures of the New Deal. For example, “there were 10 million people unemployed all the time during the New Deal.” (Hamilton Fish, page 86.) This was one of the many things the reporters during the New Deal did not mention. Also, there were months during the New Deal where the economy slipped downwards. The New Deal promised relief, recovery, and reform… it would be foolish to think that the New Deal provided these promises, when the economy was slipping downhill and millions were unemployed.

The New Deal did not end the Great Depression, World War ll did. Before the War, unemployment was increasing and the economy was slipping downhill. (The New Deal Achieved Little, page 86.) “By the eve of World War ll in 1939, with the New Deal programs having been in place for over 6 years, the country was in little better shape than when Roosevelt first took office in 1933” (The New Deal Achieved Little, page 85). America was in need of jobs and World War ll created a huge surge of war production that helped to stimulate the economy. (The New Deal Achieved Little, page 85) This is how America rose from the depths of the Great Depression. It has been said that if America did not enter World War ll, Roosevelt would have been defeated in 1940. (The New Deal Achieved Little, page 86) Knowing the impact of the war, it would be irrational to think that the New Deal created a “more perfect union.”

The New Deal contributed nothing towards the success America has achieved today. The New Deal was a failure due to unorganized government and false promises. This country was very lucky that World War ll came along and saved it. Most people believe that the New Deal programs provided by the government were good for everyone. They were not. The government needed to pay billions of dollars to keep these programs running and to pay employees. That just put the country deeper into debt. The government needed to spend a lot of money on these programs… and where did they get it? Right out of the back pockets of the people, through taxes. This can make the wealthy a lot less wealthy. As you can see, the New Deal’s programs were not a good thing. The New Deal is related to my life and to yours in a huge way. As you know, right now our country is in a huge recession. It is important that we know what went wrong during the Great Depression, to ensure that the mistakes we made in the previous depression will not occur again.

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