Big Picture Theme: How did the Great Depression affect the role of government in American economic and social affairs?
Overview:
The Great Depression was steeper and more protracted in the United States than in other industrialized countries. The unemployment rate rose higher and remained higher longer than in any other western country. As it deepened, the Depression had far-reaching political consequences. The Depression vastly expanded the scope and scale of the federal government and created the modern welfare state. It gave rise to a philosophy that the federal government should provide a safety net for the elderly, the jobless, the disabled, and the poor, and that the federal government was responsible for ensuring the health of the nation's economy and the welfare of its citizens.
Source: Digital History
Essential Questions:
- Were the causes of the Great Depression inevitable?
- Was the New Deal an effective response to the depression?
- Did Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” weaken or save capitalism?
- Did Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” undermine the constitutional principles of “separation of powers” and “checks and balances?”
- How did the New Deal effect labor unions and working people?
The Great Depression 1929-1936
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David M. Kennedy: The Causes of the Great Depression from The Gilder Lehrman Institute on Vimeo. t custom HTML |
The New Deal 1932-1940
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