You are on page 1of 4

#1555

CB#1:

CB #2:

CB # 3:

Great Depression, New Deal, WWII Era


Just as the nation was recovering from the aftermath of World War I, America was
plunged back into the throes of conflict by the Great Depression and the rise of fascism, leading
to the Second World War. This great upheaval in the world order would create a new era of more
modern political thought, a powerful united foreign diplomacy, and ground-shaking social and
cultural changes. This era was truly a new deal between government and people, and can be
considered one of the most influential periods in the shaping of modern America. At this time,
the nation was tested like never before, and showed its true power to unify for a common cause,
a trait that would guide America through turmoil to become the great nation it is today.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of the most powerful and influential presidents in US
history, began his political leadership during troubled economic times, and was forced to take an
active role in combating the effects of the Great Depression. Roosevelt created a centralized
program for relief and aid during this era of turmoil, and called it the New Deal. This program of
federal activism not only “would change the nature of American government” (737), but also
affected the economy and politics as a whole. Roosevelt’s New Deal came to stand for a
complex set of responses to the nation’s economic collapse. The New Deal was meant to relieve
suffering yet conserve the nation’s political and economic institutions. Through unprecedented
intervention by the national government, Roosevelt’s programs put people to work, instilling
hope and restoring the nation’s confidence. Roosevelt made his administration’s programs
respond to shifting political and economic conditions rather than adhering to a set ideology or
plan. He established a close rapport with the American people; his use of the medium of radio to
broadcast his “fireside chats” fostered a sense of intimacy. Roosevelt’s approach expanded the
power of the executive branch to initiate policy, thereby helping to create the modern presidency.
Roosevelt promised to act quickly, and followed up on this commitment creating a “whirlwhind
of activity in Congress, which was controlled by Democrats,” (739) and called the “Hundred
Days.” This set of 15 rapidly enacted legislations aided agriculture and industry, and provided
direct relief to millions of families. Job projects, sponsored by the federal government, aided
millions more. These quick and effective actions did not end the depression, but they did offer
hope and sustenance for many Americans. Other legislation regulated banks and the stock
market, hoping to eliminate some of the financial excess in the 1920’s that had helped bring
about the depression. Unfortunately for Roosevelt, some popular leaders accused the new deal’s
policies of moving too slowly, not redistributing enough wealth, and not caring well enough for
elderly Americans. These complaints from the left forced FDR to create the “Second New Deal”
which offered support for organized labor, along with new Social Security legislation including
unemployment insurance and aid to those who couldn’t work. The unemployment problem
nationwide led to the establishment of the Works Progress Administration, which would provide
millions of federally funded jobs and play a key role in pulling America out of the depression.
The new deal as a whole had a secondary influence, as it accelerated the expansion of the federal
bureaucracy, increasingly centering power in the nation’s capital instead of in the states. During
the 1930’s, the federal government operated as a broker state, mediating between contending
groups seeking power and benefits. Once FDR was reelected in 1936, his New Deal policies
began to falter slightly, thanks to an abortive attempt to undercut the structure of the Supreme
Court. He “slashed the federal budget which had been running a modest deficit.” (748) His
premature reductions in federal spending, also helped lead to the “Roosevelt Recession”. Out of
ideas and still facing a depression, FDR’s basic conservative approach became more apparent.
Tinkering would never solve the economic recovery of the nation, more drastic action was
needed. However, as Europe moved toward war and Japan expanded its incursions in the Far
East, Roosevelt was forced to focus less on domestic reform, and more on international
diplomatic relations.

After having their illusions of peace and harmony shattered by World War I, and facing a
nation crippled by the Great Depression, the American people often turned to isolationist
diplomatic policies in the 1930s. As World War II began, however, the US was drawn closer to
Britain and the other allies, led by a president who strongly favored international cooperation
over isolationist protection. The initial neutrality and reluctance by the American people to enter
into the war was undermined by the wars caused by the axis powers; Germany, Italy, and Japan,
who all wanted to expand their power. Once FDR won a third presidential term in 1940,
Roosevelt attempted to persuade Americans to aid Britain in the war effort. Out of these efforts
arose the Lend-Lease Act, allowing the US to supply arms to Britain and the Soviet Union,
marking the unofficial entrance of the US into the war. Once Japanese bombers attacked Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt persuaded congress to declare war on Japan, describing
Pearl Harbor as “a date which will live in infamy.” (773) Soon after, Germany and Italy joined
in, declaring war on the US and forcing a full involvement approach, with the US declaring war
on all three of the main axis powers. At this point, the President’s power was exponentially
increased by the War Powers Act of 1941, which gave the President the final say on most
wartime decisions. This change in the way government worked would send ripples through
history, changing the way presidents and their administrations would make decisions forever.
Then, suddenly, in 1943, Italian rebels brought down Mussolini’s fascist regime, and Italy joined
the allies under a new government. Then, on June 6 1944, General Eisenhower led 1.5 million
allied troops in the invasion of France, which has been immortalized as D-Day. Soon after, they
liberated Paris, and then drove the Germans out of France and Belgium. Finally, Germany
surrendered in May of 1945. As Allied troops advanced into Germany, they came upon the
extermination camps, “where six million Jews had been put to death, along with another six
million Poles, Slavs, Gypsies, homosexuals, and other ‘undesirables.’” (790) Once Japan had
attacked Pearl Harbor, it continued in its sweeping conquests across the Far East. In the Battle of
the Coral Sea in May 1942, American naval forces halted the Japanese offensive against
Australia. Over the next eighteen months, General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester W.
Nimitz led the American advance across the Pacific. The Big Three- Roosevelt, Churchill, and
Stalin- met at Yalta in February 1945 as victory in Europe and the pacific came into view.
However, no agreement on the peace to come had been reached. One main source of conflict was
Stalin’s desire to create a band of Soviet-controlled satellite states to protect the Soviet Union’s
western border. Roosevelt and Churchill agreed, going along with the Soviet influence in Eastern
Europe, but made no effort to give accurate dimensions. This vagueness may have been one of
the causes of the eventual creation of an overly strong iron curtain by Soviet communists. Once
harry S. Truman succeeded the presidency, he made the difficult decision to drop atomic bombs
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, assuring the Japanese Surrender in August 1945. World War had
finally come to a close, but a new age of political and military confrontation with the Soviet
Union- the Cold War- was dawning. All of the conflicts and decisions made abroad would have
wide- reaching impacts on the social and cultural lives back home, making the home front one of
the most important battles in the war.

The new deal, while it had many important social and cultural impacts, did not manage to
end the depression, but it did usher in an unprecedented expansion of the federal government as a
whole. By trying to spread benefits among the neglected parts of the nation, the New Deal
managed to attract African Americans, women, and organized labor to the Democratic party.
Organized labor was, for the first time, supported by the federal government. During the Great
Depression itself, American culture flourished and bloomed. The WPA employed thousands of
great writers and artists, paying them to produce works that celebrated the lives of ordinary
people throughout the nation. This created one of the era’s hallmarks, the “broad artistic trend
called the ‘documentary impulse,’” (762) which created a form of presentation in photography,
graphic arts, music, and film of a social reality designed to create public empathy. This type of
cultural expansion showed a sense of unity among Americans, forced to work together to fight a
common enemy, the Great Depression, Americans banded together, creating new social
structures and cultural styles. The number of civilians employed by the government quadrupled.
Mobilization on such a gigantic scale gave a huge boost to the economy, but the new capitalist
system relied heavily on the federal government’s participation. This kind of rapid expansion
would be absolutely key to US success during World War II. The incredible expansion in federal
funding and jobs made a smooth transition from peace to war possible. Once World War II drew
to a close, 15 million men and women were in the US armed forces. Segregation was rampant
within the army: African Americans were separated and assigned menial jobs; Mexican
Americans and Native Americans, while never officially segregated, were treated poorly at best.
Nearly 350,000 women served during the war, though barred from direct combat. This showed
the rapid increase in the social position of women, as every war in history has. As the men leave
for battle, the women are forced to take over classically masculine tasks, elevating their social
positions in the process. The War Manpower commission sought to alleviate the labor shortage
brought about by the war by urging women to join the workforce en masse. The high-paying
defense jobs lured and encouraged mass migrations, causing nearly 15 million Americans to
change locations. This caused conflicts between old-timers and newcomers in some defense-
heavy towns, where housing was frequently scarce and transportation inadequate. All of these
social shifts were caused directly by political actions by Roosevelt, or by the diplomatic issues
brought to bear by the rise of fascism. Though they were created out of the terror of economic
depression and war, these social changes helped America rise from the ashes, not as a phoenix,
but as a soaring eagle of freedom.

The Great Depression and World War II tested American courage in new ways, clearly
showing the resilience of the nation’s leaders, political systems, urban centers, and rural
backbone. The policies and ideas brought up by social reformers and leaders like Roosevelt alike
changed America: whether for better or for worse is yet to be decided. Even so, this would not be
the end to the hardships of the nation: it would have to survive the rolling waves of war and the
tearing winds of turmoil, but as each new threat and obstacle approached, new leaders stepped
forward to take the places left by those during this era, new helmsmen, ready to steer America
into its current place as one of the most powerful nations the world has ever known.

You might also like