New Deal Dbq

The Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to 1939 was undoubtedly the worst depression in the history of this country. It is widely agreed upon that the first event which started the economic downturn was the crash of the stock market on the 24th of October of 1929. In the same year, more than 700 banks failed, and the next year (1930), the same unfortunate fate struck another 3,000 banks. At this time, bank failure meant the loss of money for the common people. Knowing this, people panicked and rushed to the banks to withdraw money from their accounts. These “bank runs” caused even more banks to close down, and by the end of the decade, around 9,000 banks had to close down. The surviving ones became skeptical of loans and were not willing

Roosevelt, unlike Hoover, created New Deal bills in order to provide direct federal aid and grow the influence of the government on the American economy. Roosevelt wanted to essentially press the reset button and boost the confidence of consumers. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), for example, was aimed at putting young men to work. More than three million participants worked through the CCC in its years of operation from 1933 to 1942. The New Deal programs did not end the Great Depression; however, they definitely did boost consumer confidence and brought relief to millions of people. The New Deal faced harsh criticism from both sides. Conservatives argued that Roosevelt’s programs were too socialistic, because government is not supposed to become heavily involved in the economy. The left, including Roosevelt’s biggest political threat, Senator Huey Long, argued that he was not doing enough to help the poor. He suggested using the “Share our Wealth” program instead, by confiscating large fortunes over a certain amount, and helping the poorest of the country get what they

The Soviets tried to tighten control over eastern European countries in order to increase their sphere of influence. The United States, of course, was viciously opposed to any Soviet and communist expansion. In 1946, Truman was already fed up with the Soviets and his most of his advisors agreed with him. The head of the embassy in Moscow, George Kennan, sent a telegram that stated that Soviets were opposed to the United States, the West, capitalism, and democracy. He argued that it is crucial for the United States to deal with this threat. The relations between the two superpowers continued getting worse and tensions were inevitably rising in 1946. In ‘47, the U.S. took a more proactive stance against the Soviet Union. Truman was concerned that the USSR might set up communist governments in European countries that were still undergoing recovery. The same year, after seeing the Soviet attempts to influence the governments of Turkey and Greece, the Truman Doctrine was made public. The United States pledged to support all recovering nations from outside pressures and would made sure that democracy is in place. In the summer of the same year, George Marshall (Secretary of State under Truman) announced a new aid program to Europe, that is to this day remembered as the Marshall Plan. This multi-billion dollar package would make sure that both political and economic stability were