How Fdr Tried to Elleviate the Problems of Amercian Society

1. How did the Franklin administration try to alleviate the problems of American society during the Great Depression? Programs and their success.

October 24, 1929 marked the fall of the US economy. The gruesome days of unemployment and miserable wages had entered the US history. Businesses would close down, workers would get laid off and banks would declare bankruptcy. A nation wide panic had possessed the American people.

The acting president Hoover attempted to help the economy, but would not directly interfere with it. He believed that if left alone, the economy would heal itself on its own. By 1932, ninety thousand businesses and nine thousand banks had failed. Workers incomes had dropped 40percent and unemployment had raced to 25 percent. It was clear that Hoover had failed as a president and the public turned to FDR for an answer. FDR argued that his ‘New Deal’ would solve the economic hardships. In reality it was nothing but illusion. There was no plan, and in fact Roosevelt’s advisers were frequently at odds about which path to follow.

Riding a wave of popular support and great expectations Roosevelt faced a unique political climate. The result was that within his first 100 days in office, Roosevelt administration passed more legislations than any other president before. Two days after taking office, FDR administration started nursing the banking system. At first a national Bank Holiday was declared to close all the banks and there days later signed Emergency Banking Bill which allowed Federal Reserve and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to support the nation’s banks by providing funds and buying stocks of preferred bonds. A tremendous success, within a month nearly 75% of the nations banks were operating again.

Next reform on the list was Federal Employment Relief Act of 1933. It was aimed to help those unemployed through the grants for states to use for destitute. Although it was proven to be effective, this program was not as successful as the National Industrial Recovery Act which really helped the nation by creating jobs in cities thought the country. It was the ‘most important and far reaching legislature passed by the American congress.” It created National Recovery Administration for long-term economic revival and the Public Works Administration for more immediate work. In all, millions of young and willing were taken off the streets and put to work. This reform helped increase the demand for skilled labor as well as dispense the population