In the 30's, There were shanties, many suicides ( people were scared not to be able to provide for their family), many people were getting depressed. Gerald Johnson even wrote a report in 1932 dealing with this depressive feeling. President Hoover called the government to create projects but overall, he didn't believe in a mass government assistance. He was definitely not socialist and he didn't do a lot to solve the situation. He was not able to get back America on track. In 1932, the democratic party nominated Roosevelt, he married Eleanor who was for the Human rights. They had 6 children. He was young for politics but Eleanor was young too, she was a progressist and was committed in a lot of movements. Then , Roosevelt got polio ( 1921) but he did make a significant recovery. He had the idea of " a new deal". " You have nothing to fear but fear itself" he said ==> This is a famous sentence of Roosevelt, and this was recomforting for American people. He was for capitalism and democracy. He used many theories, one of them was from the British gentleman John Maynard Keynes : Massive government spendings could encourage a more private spending and a massive consommation. He brought many people to come to Washington to be his advisers, he wanted to bring all the intellegentsia to his cabinet : It was the brain trust. In 1933, the 20th admendment wad added to the Constitution and this changed the Presidency inauguration date from March to January 20th : This was done for the President to be able to act more fastly, he could take his position as soon as possible. The 21st admendment was added, the 18th admendment followed : Prohibition ( to cut down on crime, give farmers a reason to go back to work). In the first 100 days, Roosevelt expanded the federal involvement in the national economy. He closed all of the banks and established measures to reorganize the american bank system. It was the alphabeat soup.
- he helped americans struggling to survive ( accepted loan at the bank). He created the CCC : civilian conservations corps. It was to make young men back to work : replanting, reforestation, parks maintenance, roads rebuilt, briges rebuilt...It was outdoor job. By 1934, ( a million) a half of a young men was employed by the CCC.
- He passed the federal emergency relief act : he gave 500 million to the individual states and cities
- He set a programme to aid the major farmers and he paid the farmers to let the fields fallow : to not grow anything, it gives land a period to rest : it keeps the prices rise. Farmers can rest. TVA : Tennessee Valley authority : to provide hydroelectric power.
It took several years for the economy to recover and for the money to circulate again.
In 1935, FDR provided further aid for poor : retired workers and other needy groups, people living in the country, rural population
- 1935 : social security act : provided for workers to have a retirement system so that at the age of 65, they can retire.
But, Americans didn't want charity. FDR always insisted that he had saved capitalism solving the social problems.
1936 : He was reelected, he carried every single state except Maine especially.
He was reelected. FDR's programme was successful. What shaped America in the 1930's was new deal. Culture had an evolution too : Gangster's movies, Hemingway, cow boy movies. A lot of money was invested into public work projects : Farm secutity administration : Dorothea Lange, she was a photographer.
Williamsburg : town restaured. Post offices built.
At the same moment, dangerous movements developed in Europe :
Benoti mussolini with the fascism.
Hitler national socialist " kristallnacht" nov 9-10 1938 : 60 000 dead people.
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