The New Deal – Was It A Good Deal?

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Why would a country spend enormous amounts of money and place military lives on the line to fight against communism; and then that same country would begin to implement programs and legislation within their own country that would ultimately lead to a governing body comparable to communism? This question is complex; yet the answer is revealed when the United States of America finds itself in this exact situation. Government expansion into the lives of American citizens is consistent with the common principles underlying communism and socialism—the very principles the United States of America was fighting against in the Cold War. At a time when the Great Depression had ravaged America, President Franklin D. Roosevelt instituted various programs – collectively called the New Deal. These programs were focused on helping Americans get back on their feet; by and large most of the programs did just that. Nevertheless, the New Deal programs implemented during 1933-1936 did in fact set the stage for America’s loss of individual freedoms, a dependency upon the United States government, and enlarged the powers of the federal government. Government expansion was beginning to quietly take root and set the stage for America’s loss of individual freedoms – a communist groundwork. Programs like the Social Security Act and the Works Progress Administration would inconspicuously begin to chip away at the American dream of freedom and individualism and start the implementation of government control and expansion, as we know it today.

Although, the New Deal began the process to eliminate individual freedoms, the programs instituted by this legislation were appealing to the people and addictive which resulted in dependency upon the government. Now,...

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...ctionary/communism. (accessed October 26, 2011).

Schneider, Gregory L. The Conservative Century: From Reaction To Revolution. 28. Lanham,

MD: Rowman & Littlefield 2009.

Worth, Richard. Social Security Act. 12-14. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. 2011.

Bibliography

Brands, H. W. "The War That Never Ended." In American Dreams: the United States Since

1945. 35. New York: Penguin Group USA, Inc. 2010.

Conserveapedia.com. “New Deal.” http://conservapedia.com/New_Deal. (accessed October 28,

2011).

Merriam-Webster.com, s.v.“communism” http://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/communism. (accessed October 26, 2011).

Schneider, Gregory L. The Conservative Century: From Reaction To Revolution. 28. Lanham,

MD: Rowman & Littlefield 2009.

Worth, Richard. Social Security Act. 12-14. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp. 2011.

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