The Great Depression didn 't affect only the United States, it had worldwide implications that stemmed from it. It occurred in the late 1920s and lasted throughout the end of World War II. In 1932, one out of every four Americans was unemployed; in larger cities nearly half of the adults were out of work.(TS p.858) This economic turmoil caused food insecurity and massive job losses as people soured the country for work and stood in breadlines. These hard times put our nation at ends with political and economic issues, aggravating the effects of the Depression. Newly elected President Herbert Hoover began his presidency eight months before the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which jarred loose the banking system in the United States and caused
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Roosevelt (FDR) inherited the economic and political problem, but he was a pragmatist rather than an ideologue. He liked to experiment rather than stay set in ways.(TS p.859) This led him to pass the Economy Act, which allowed the executive branch to essentially reduce governmental spending into itself. Also, he ended Prohibition, allowing an influx of tax monies from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Though, both unemployment and hours worked were cut by an alarming 25 percent in most sectors. FDR 's biggest feat was when he devised the New Deal programs, which sharply increased federal spending to offset the unemployment crisis and increase American spending power. Essentially, this was the start of government welfare and intervention to ensure the success of our nation 's economic capital. One of the largest government job opportunities created from the New Deal expenditures was the Works Progress Administration (WPA), it employed over 8 million Americans to better roads and parks throughout the nation. Of course FDR 's efforts didn 't come without criticism from republican politicians who disliked and labeled the programs as socialist. FDR also received criticism from fellow liberals who believed that the New Deal policies should go further. For example, Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long wanted the federal government to guarantee a grant to every poor family in the amount of $5000 and every worker an annual income of $2500 amongst other
Roosevelt (FDR) inherited the economic and political problem, but he was a pragmatist rather than an ideologue. He liked to experiment rather than stay set in ways.(TS p.859) This led him to pass the Economy Act, which allowed the executive branch to essentially reduce governmental spending into itself. Also, he ended Prohibition, allowing an influx of tax monies from the sale of alcoholic beverages. Though, both unemployment and hours worked were cut by an alarming 25 percent in most sectors. FDR 's biggest feat was when he devised the New Deal programs, which sharply increased federal spending to offset the unemployment crisis and increase American spending power. Essentially, this was the start of government welfare and intervention to ensure the success of our nation 's economic capital. One of the largest government job opportunities created from the New Deal expenditures was the Works Progress Administration (WPA), it employed over 8 million Americans to better roads and parks throughout the nation. Of course FDR 's efforts didn 't come without criticism from republican politicians who disliked and labeled the programs as socialist. FDR also received criticism from fellow liberals who believed that the New Deal policies should go further. For example, Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long wanted the federal government to guarantee a grant to every poor family in the amount of $5000 and every worker an annual income of $2500 amongst other