Compare And Contrast The New Deal And The Progressive Era

The New Deal and the Progressive Era were both significant periods of reform in American history, and while both promoted betterment of the lower-middle class, the two are far from the same. Despite the renouncement of Gilded Age ideology from both, the domestic programs of the New Deal represent departure from those of the Progressive Era in terms of its scope, goals, and methods.

One of the key differences between the policies of the Progressive Era and of the New Deal was the scope of their programs. While the policies of both covered a wider range of people, (helping the common man instead of the C-suite of industry), The Progressive Era was centered primarily on political reforms such as trust-busting and the establishment of the Federal Reserve. The New Deal, on the other hand, aimed to address the devastating effects of the Great Depression (and helped to build up trusts in some cases, like the NRA). The programs of the New Deal included the likes of Social Security, the Wealth Tax Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Works Progress Administration, all going beyond anything attempted during the Progressive Era.

The Progressive Era was focused on business regulation, as well as breaking up monopolies in order to promote healthy competition and protect consumers. The New Deal, by contrast, sought to address the root causes of economic instability and inequality, like unemployment and poverty. The New Deal was reactionary to the Great Depression, and aimed to create a social safety net and promote economic growth through public works projects (i.e. Civilian Conservation Corps- parks jobs) and government intervention in the economy (i.e. National Industrial Recovery Act- PWA + $3.3B for infrastructure