great depression new deal wwii essay

8/6/2019 Great Depression New Deal WwII Essay

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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, leadingto 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 andcultural 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 anactive 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 ³would 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 relievesuffering yet conserve the nation¶s political and economic institutions. Through unprecedented

intervention by the national government, Roosevelt¶s programs put people to work, instillinghope 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 ³fireside 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 ³whirlwhindof activity in Congress, which was controlled by Democrats,´ (739) and called the ³Hundred

Days.´ This set of 15 rapidly enacted legislations aided agriculture and industry, and provideddirect 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 bringabout 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 ³Second New Deal´

which offered support for organized labor, along with new Social Security legislation includingunemployment insurance and aid to those who couldn¶t work. The unemployment problem

nationwide led to the establishment of the Works Progress Administration, which would providemillions 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 contendinggroups 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 SupremeCourt. He ³slashed the federal budget which had been running a modest deficit.´ (748) His

premature reductions in federal spending, also helped lead to the ³Roosevelt 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 wasneeded. 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 internationaldiplomatic 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 cooperationover 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 ³a 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, ³where six million Jews had been put to death, along with another six

million Poles, Slavs, Gypsies, homosexuals, and other µundesirables.¶´ (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 bombson 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 toend 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 GreatDepression 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 ³broad artistic trend

called the µdocumentary 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 socialstructures 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 capitalistsystem 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 drewto a close, 15 million men and women were in the US armed forces. Segregation was rampantwithin 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 leavefor 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 tochange locations. This caused conflicts between old-timers and newcomers in some defense-

heavy towns, where housing was frequently scarce and transportation inadequate. All of thesesocial 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 economicdepression 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, clearlyshowing 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 alikechanged 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 thetearing 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 Americainto its current place as one of the most powerful nations the world has ever known.

great depression new deal wwii essay

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