America 1920-1973Topic Summary
Topic Summary: The New Deal, 1933–1941
Part of The New Deal — GCSE History
This topic summary covers Topic Summary: The New Deal, 1933–1941 within The New Deal for GCSE History. Revise The New Deal in America 1920-1973 for GCSE History with 10 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 13 of 13 in this topic. Use this topic summary to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 13 of 13
Practice
10 questions
Recall
5 flashcards
Topic Summary: The New Deal, 1933–1941
Key Terms
- Three Rs: Relief, Recovery, Reform — FDR's three goals for the New Deal
- CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps — 2.5m young men employed in conservation
- WPA: Works Progress Administration — 8m employed building infrastructure
- TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority — dams for electricity in poor rural South
- Social Security Act: 1935 — pensions and unemployment insurance (still exists)
- Wagner Act: 1935 — gave workers the right to join unions
- Keynesian economics: Government spending in a recession stimulates the economy
Key Dates
- 1932: FDR wins presidency in landslide (57% of vote)
- 1933: Hundred Days — First New Deal; CCC, AAA, TVA, NRA launched
- 1935: Second New Deal — WPA, Social Security Act, Wagner Act
- 1935: NRA declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court
- 1936: AAA declared unconstitutional
- 1937: FDR's court packing plan fails; Roosevelt Recession begins
- 1941-45: WW2 finally ends the Depression
Key People
- FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt): 32nd president; architect of the New Deal; elected 1932; served four terms
- Eleanor Roosevelt: FDR's wife; championed rights of Black Americans and the poor within the New Deal
- Huey Long: Louisiana senator; left-wing critic; demanded more radical redistribution of wealth ("Share Our Wealth")
- Father Coughlin: "Radio Priest"; initially supported FDR then turned sharply critical; claimed New Deal helped bankers
Must-Know Facts
- CCC employed 2.5 million young men (1933–1942)
- WPA employed 8 million people on infrastructure
- Unemployment still 14% in 1937 — New Deal did NOT end Depression
- WW2 dropped unemployment from 14% to 1.2% (1937–1944)
- Social Security Act (1935) still exists in modified form today
- NRA declared unconstitutional 1935; AAA declared unconstitutional 1936
- FDR's court packing plan (1937) failed — damaged his reputation
Cross-Topic Links
- → Topic 10 (Causes of Depression): Each New Deal agency targeted a specific Depression cause — the AAA addressed farm overproduction, the FDIC tackled bank failures, the WPA addressed mass unemployment; knowing the OSIAS causes explains why these solutions were designed as they were.
- → Topic 13 (Opposition to New Deal): The New Deal's very ambition generated opposition from both sides — Republicans called it socialism, while Huey Long said it didn't go far enough; understanding the programme in detail explains what each critic was reacting to.
- → Topic 14 (New Deal Success): This topic introduces the agencies; Topic 14 evaluates whether they worked — the key judgement (success at Relief and Reform, partial failure at Recovery) can only be made by knowing what the New Deal was trying to do here.
- → Topic 16 (Segregation): The New Deal largely excluded Black Americans — CCC camps were segregated, AAA hurt Black sharecroppers, FDR refused to support anti-lynching legislation to keep Southern Democrats onside; this limits any claim that the New Deal was transformative for all Americans.
- → Topic 11 (FDR Election): The "First Hundred Days" (March-June 1933) directly fulfilled FDR's election promises of government action — the speed and scale of new legislation was itself a political signal that the era of Hoover's inaction was over.