The New Deal Legacy Essay

Legacy of the New Deal

For the opposition and supporters alike, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was revered as a man who helped keep the United States intact during the lamentable days of The Great Depression. After a decade of unprecedented economic ruin, most recognized that Roosevelt took necessary measures to ensure the subsistence of American society. However, where disagreement resided was in the question of whether the New Deal did too much or too little in regards to implementing lasting political, economic, and societal change. Emphasizing this divide, many of the leading politicians and thinkers of the Depression era vocalized their thoughts on Roosevelt’s New Deal policies. Roosevelt’s adversaries, for example, were starkly damning. Huey

According to Perkins, Roosevelt’s policies were never politically oriented, but rather made for and by the people of which he was the leader. Roosevelt was not solely perceived as a nonpartisan president by New Deal proponents however, and that was evidenced by a New Deal economist portrayal of Roosevelt in 1970. The anonymous economist states that Roosevelt understood the importance of working with industrialists and the upper class citizens of America. Contrary to a common sentiment, through this alliance, the New Deal programs were bolstered, not sabotaged. The New Deal economist boldly asserts that Roosevelt was a friend of capital (5 A New Deal Economist). This sentiment was true, for Roosevelt’s main goal upon election was to save capitalism from extinction. At the time these documents were recorded, the Great Depression was either in full effect or a very fresh memory. Because of this, arguments that cried political extremism and detriment to the American creed were mere speculation. Presently, however, more than eighty years after Roosevelt’s administration, the New Deal’s abiding legacy is more lucid and is examined by the

Roosevelt’s administration implemented extensive public work programs that drove down the unemployment rate and busted morale. Although most of the New Deal programs no longer exist today, there were some policies that were integral to the advancement of American society. The most notable of these was the Social Security Act of 1935 Social security helped expand the governmental role of the president and was the blueprint for future welfare programs. Be that as it may, the changes during the 1930s were rudimentary. The most influential thing Roosevelt did was revolutionize the democratic party to reflect a more modern portrait of liberal ideology. The formation of the progressive, left-leaning, democratic party that exists today flourished under Roosevelt. Overall, however, to say that his policies were fundamental is quite disputable. The reasoning for this argument is that Roosevelt viewed the economy as a monolithic entity. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins said herself that Roosevelt wasn’t familiar with economic theory and he comprehended wealth at the most elementary of levels. Roosevelt concluded that the way to fix the economy was by solving the problem of under-consumption. However, what Roosevelt failed to recognize was that economic prosperity was an intersectional issue. Race and gender played astronomical roles in economic stability. Even Roosevelt’s own wife,