Social And Cultural Changes In The Interwar Era

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and the New Deal created social and cultural changes of substantial historical significance to the latter part of the interwar period in America. However, internationally and in the earlier years of the interwar period, the New Deal is of little significance. Throughout Roosevelt’s presidency, he attempted to foster a culture of optimism, though making Americans feel supported using a variety of different strategies and policies. This thereby developed a more socialistic governance style that shied away from the deep commitment to individualism that was nurtured in previous administrations, which was reflected in the culture of the era, and forever altered the relationship between Americans and their government.

To those who were employed by government programs such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and their families, the New Deal made a massive financial and emotional impact. These programs saved many Americans from destitution, allowing them to feed their families and keep their houses as well as making them feel “supported” and secure. Although unemployed people, such as migrants and women, who weren’t eligible for benefits or weren’t supported by programs, still had to pay an excise tax and increased prices for goods (due to the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Anti-Chain-Store Act of 1935, and the Retail Price Maintenance Act of 1937 among other legislation). Some of these vulnerable people ended up living in ‘Hoovervilles,’ named after the president that many had blamed for the Great Depression. There were hundreds of these shanty towns all over the USA, all having horrible and unsafe conditions for those who lived there. Ultimately despite the limitations of unemployment benefits, The New Deal created a “sense of self-confidence and self-assurance that played a powerful part” in attempting to create a more positive culture in America at the time, despite the desperate circumstances, with finite

The Glass Steagall Act prevented banks from engaging in risky behaviour by separating commercial and investment banking. This protected depositors from prospective losses through stock speculation. The Act also created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which essentially insured Americans' deposits. Before the Great Depression, banks were thought to be “too big to fail,” however in the Depression about 9000 banks failed, taking $7 billion in deposits, including millions of Americans' life savings. These failures generated panic within America, which created more bank runs and subsequent failures, which overall engendered massive scepticism and distrust towards the economy and banks. New Deal reforms aided in regaining the faith of Americans and ending the panic, causing a shift towards a more optimistic outlook. Conversely, there was still deep-rooted cynicism ingrained in society throughout the interwar period, as much of the damage from the Great Depression had already effectuated. Harry Hopkins, chief of the CWA said that he had “hardly met a single person who seemed confident and cheerful” (1934). Roosevelt's ‘fireside chats’ were a series of radio broadcasts that were initially communicated to build support for New Deal policies, but soon became a source of hope and security for the American public. Roosevelt understood