But FDR's New Deal failed to cure completely the Depression-induced ills of the American economy. The New Deal did this to a remarkable degree. Writ large, the New Deal sought to insure that the economic, social, and political benefits of American capitalism were distributed more equally among America's large and diverse populace. Finally, by embracing an activist fiscal policy after 1937, the government assumed responsibility for smoothing out the rough spots in the American economy. Beginning in 1933, it helped rural and agricultural America with price supports and development programs when these sectors could barely survive. It provided, in 1935, financial aid to the aged, infirm, and unemployed when they could no longer provide for themselves. The federal government in 1935 guaranteed unions the right to organize and bargain collectively, and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established a mechanism for putting a floor under wages and a ceiling on hours that continues to this day. Under FDR, the American federal government assumed new and powerful roles in the nation's economy, in its corporate life, and in the health, welfare, and well-being of its citizens. By implementing a variety of innovative policies, FDR was able to pull the United States away from the brink of economic, social, and perhaps even political, disaster-and lay the foundation for future stability and prosperity. Roosevelt promised a "new deal" and he certainly delivered. But his responses to the challenges he faced made him a defining figure in American history.Īmericans elected Roosevelt President in 1932 because they believed he could combat the Depression more effectively than his Republican opponent, President Herbert Hoover. Of course, some of this was the product of circumstances the Great Depression and the rise of Germany and Japan were beyond FDR's control. He may have done more during those twelve years to change American society and politics than any of his predecessors in the White House, save Abraham Lincoln. Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as President from March 1933 to April 1945, the longest tenure in American history.
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