Hunger, poverty, and unemployment were the realities of the Great Depression, a hard-hitting worldwide economic collapse that affected the lives of Americans and took place mostly in the 1930s. Influential people such as President Herbert Hoover had tried to mend the situation, however, due to his previous laissez-fair or hands-off policies he made the depression worse. In 1932, hope was restored as the charismatic Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected into office and with his New Deal plan to provide relief, reform, and recovery he led the country back into economic prosperity. The Franklin D. Roosevelt administration was efficient in solving problems of the Great Depression and expanding the role of the federal government in the sense that …show more content…
The F.D.R. administration was successful and efficient in solving problems of the Great Depression to the extent that it provided help and jobs for many and improved the economy. During the Great Depression, many were angry about the situation and despite who they blamed the depression on, citizens could agree on one thing: they wanted government intervention. (Document 1) F.D.R. gave the people government intervention and because of his belief in giving people jobs and stimulating the economy, the New Deal made programs such as the Works Progress Administration which employed 8 million on public works projects. The New Deal also included the Social Security act which still exists today and provided unemployment compensation and old age insurance which helped families provide for themselves. (Document 3) In addition, the Civilian Conservation Corps employed youth in …show more content…
During the progressive era labor unions were on the rise but during the depression, union membership was around 3 million, compared to 5 million a decade before. Labor unions were often blamed for the Great Depression because of their strikes which led to bad workplace relationships then led to strikers being fired and machines being used to replace the fired strikers which led to the jobs of many men being taken by machinery. (Document 4) Labor unions created bad feelings within the American people because they feared that the strikes for workplace equality would lead to an Anti- American socialist society. Labor union workers, even though they were hated by many, were still confident that they would receive higher wages or a safer workplace through protesting. (Document 5) The F.D.R. administration passed the National Industrial Recovery Act which allowed employees to organize into unions and use collective bargaining to negotiate wages and work hours. The National Labor Relations Act was also passed and it prevented unfair labor practices which was a big success for unions and The Fair Labor Standards Act established a minimum wage of 40 cents an hour and a 40-hour workweek. Unions were very helpful during the depression because everyone wanted to provide for their families but wanted to work safely. All of