New Deal Dbq

In the years immediately following 1929, this nation did more than merely endure the most catastrophic collapse of its economy. It still would be an injustice to say that the United States survived an unprecedented debacle of the global economy. This nation, under the administration of President Roosevelt, took decisive action to repair the damage of the Great Depression. The federal government became exceedingly present and influential the economic affairs of this country. One could say that this was to be expected from a liberal Democrat such as FDR. On the surface, the measures taken to rebuild the economy eight years ago under the New Deal were completely liberal. A myriad of acts are passed to provide immediate, monetary relief to farmers and to those facing unemployment. Countless

jobs were created by the federal government to stimulate the economy and employment. The gold standard was extinguished, allowing the government to manage currency as it saw fit. Banks too were under federal control for some time.

Nearly every moving part of this nation’s economy was being tightly supervised and presided over by the government. FDR exercised his executive power to ensure that the economy would not only be remedied to its original state, but also reinforced to prevent against future calamity.

Liberalism within the United States at this time did not go unchecked, however. The Supreme Court, which then fostered a significant conservative presence, guaranteed that no act passed or agency created violate the Constitution. The American right to life and liberty was of utmost importance and priority. The president himself was aware of the need for balance at this time of crisis. As FDR so eloquently and paradoxically proclaimed, “I am that kind of conservative because I am that kind of liberal.” But exactly what kind of liberal was he then? To fully grasp the meaning of this quote, one must take a step through time as well as across hemispheres. The crash of the global economy provoked different responses from different nations, and while each of these responses were founded on a powerful central government, some of these governments became too

powerful. Eastern nations such as Germany, Japan, Italy, and the Soviet Union were under totalitarian leadership. Fascism, militarism, and communism took hold in each of countries. In the case of Germany, Adolf Hitler’s autonomous control of the country allowed him to efficiently revitalize the economy through industrialization of military materials. Japan branched beyond its borders, taking over nearby land in search of raw materials. Communism in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin made possible the institution of a planned economy under which farmers would be collectivised. These examples of unrestrained liberal economic resolutions had proven effective in improving the economic situations in each of these nation. The United States’s more balanced approach did not achieve a speedy recovery, but it did protect the freedom and democracy of its citizens. The Eastern nations examined earlier had little regard for the institutions which are so highly esteemed by the American people. So then, it is possible to draw from President Roosevelt’s quote that his respect for conservatism makes him the kind of liberal who can distinguish between what needs to be changed in order for the nation to move forward and what must remain intact to preserve the revered democracy and liberty of the United States.