The New Deal Reforms

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The New Deal reforms and the Progressive Era led to significant changes in the role of government with respect to the economic regulation of the United States and the welfare of its citizens. The reforms introduced in these eras helped shape government action for decades following their implementation and had a considerable effect on everyday lives of Americans. Though the reasons leading to, and the overall execution of these reforms, were unique, their impact on the United States was tremendous, each having shortcomings and accomplishments. Apart from the economic aspect of these reforms, the various social dilemmas facing American society of these respective time periods must be taken into account if we are to thoroughly analyze their causes and consequences, and how they transformed the role of government.
The Progressive era lasted from the start of the twentieth century till 1916. Progressives – that started a vaguely defined movement aimed at bringing about a change in society and politics – were people from different backgrounds with dissimilar objectives, including organizations looking to protect women and children from exploitation, Americans threatened by the rise of big business, and activists in favor of worker empowerment. A major set of reforms, that defined the role of government during this era, were state and local reforms aimed at changing the structure of elections to undermine political bosses and establish more public control. These reforms increased spending on schools, parks, and other public facilities, as living standards for the average American, especially workers, were not up to mark, and. State reforms in Wisconsin, under Governor Robert Follette, even went so far as to set up primary elections for n...

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... and reforms passed during the New Deal under FDR did not go unopposed. The strongest opponent of the New Deal reforms was the Supreme Court, as it deemed the NRA and AAA unconstitutional, as it allowed the federal government to regulate local businesses not affiliated with interstate commerce. This opposition by the Supreme Court eventually led to the demise of the First New deal, and the Second New Deal was only able to take off because of the victory of the Democrats in the midterm elections of 1934.
In conclusion, the Progressive era and the reforms in the era of the New Deal had an enormous impact on not only the economic situation of the U.S, but also on the social welfare of the people. Reforms in both eras redefined the role of the government in the U.S for the future, and were influential in shaping the country’s overall political and social structure.

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