The New Deal interpretation

Carl Degler (the late 1950s)

Was the "third America Revolution"
The enhanced role of the federal government saw it take increasing responsibility.
The new deal Represented a sign of a growing maturity of the America nation.
it also had a break with Laissez- Faire policies of the 19th century and the 1920s

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The new deal represented a compassionate response to crisis.
Leuchtenburg: The New Deal created a more just society by recognising previously marginalised groups like organised labour.
The probelms of America were only paritally addressed.
· Groups such as slum dwellers, share-croppers (the poorest farmers who rented their land from larger landowners) & African Americans still felt a sense of exclusion.

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It was a wasted opportunity for a radical change.
Piecemeal solutions enabled capitalism to prevail
. · Conkin: The New Deal should have improved social justice & produced a more contented population.
· Bernstein: The New Deal failed to solve the depression & did not redistribute wealth or improve the lot of America’s poor.
· The New Deal never consulted the people about what they wanted or needed.

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it Set USA upon the wrong course encouraging government spending and welfare state
It encouraged people to rely on the federal government which stoped entrepreneurial creativity.
· The election of Ronald Regan in 1980 was a turning point in reversing the New Deal’s policy of government responsibility for the people.

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· The New Deal achieved a lot in the field of expanding federal government power.

· The expansion of federal power has largely remained permanent.

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it did not manage to achieve fundamental changes to the America economy such as redidusrting national wealth or ending capitalism.
it did achieve a great deal in other way , reforming the economy so that more could benefit from the wealth.
·         The achievements of the New Deal included the following

-       Recognition of organised labour (trade union recognition).

-       Better regulation of abuses in the economic system.

-       Greater financial security (e.g. the introduction of old age pensions).

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