The New Deal: Successes and Failures

From 1933 to 1939, Roosevelt responded to the problems of the Great Depression with the best approach he could possibly think of to preserve America. His proposition of a New Deal was partially successful; the New Deal was designed to grant loans, reduce unemployment, and it was ultimately created to help the economy. Roosevelt focused on the three Rs: Relief, Recovery, and Reform. That is, Relief for the unemployed and poor individuals and families; Recovery of the economy by providing funds to businesses to return to normal levels; and Reform of the financial system to prevent a future depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt turned our country around and brought the better side of the United States out during a time of hardships with his idea of Relief. The goal was for the federal government to provide aid (food, shelter, jobs, and funds) directly to needy individuals or families. The graph, Percentage of Unemployment, displays the yearly statistics of the unemployment rate decreasing throughout the thirties. Specifically from 1933 to 1937, unemployment dropped twelve percent. The total number of unemployed workers drastically dropped during the New Deal years, and the workforce increased steadily (Document D). The WPA gave jobs to many people, including cutting firewood in Washington, D.C. and with the help of the WPA, over 300,000 women were employed (Document R). The goal of Recovery was for the federal government to provide funds to private companies, businesses, and corporations to reopen or stay in production. The farm prices, private investment in businesses, and new homes construction all increased during the thirties. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Wise and prudent men - intelligent conservatives - have long known that in a changing world worthy institutions can be conserved only by adjusting them to a changing time (Document G).” And in a speech Roosevelt made, he mentioned how he will solve all the problems of the nation, such as one-third of the