The Second New Deal

FDR was doing a lot, but recovery was still slow. Europe was recovering quicker. Businesses, like Ford, were giving up on the New Deal.

Key Bits… Wagner Act –Makes Trade Unions legal and lets unions negotiate for higher wages. Social Security Act –Starts state pensions, sick pay, unemployment benefit and disability benefit. Works Progress Administration –Tries to create jobs for non-manual workers. –Some work a bit silly: Pigeon-scaring in Washington 12,000 employed as actors to put on plays Boondoggling

Continued… Resettlement Administration –A bit like the AAA. –Helps move farmers to more fertile land. –Helps over 50,000 families. Farm Security Administration –Gives loans to farmers. –Builds migrant camps for mobile workers.

Problems –“New Deal isn’t doing enough!” –“New Deal is doing too much!” –“New Deal is illegal!”

“Not Enough!” The main critic was Huey Long, governor of Louisiana He started taxing businesses and building hospitals and schools. He employed blacks and whites on equal terms. He invented a scheme known as “Share Our Wealth”...

“Share Our Wealth” “Share Our Wealth” suggested…. –No-one could own over $3,000,000. –No-one could have an income of over $1m. –Pensions would be given to all people over 60 –Everyone would get a free radio and washing machine Luckily for FDR, Huey Long was assassinated in 1935, so “Share Our Wealth” never happened.

Other “Not Enough” People… FDR was also criticised for not doing enough by… –Francis Townsend – he wanted pensions of $200 per month, as long as it was all spent. –He founded “Townsend Clubs” to campaign. –Father Coughlin used his radio programme to criticise FDR, and founded the National Union for Social Justice.

“Too much” Most big businessmen did not support FDR. They saw him as too interfering and as getting rid of laissez-faire. The big businesses, and Republicans, said… –New Deal was too complicated –New Deal was too communist –New Deal was too interfering –FDR was a dictator! –FDR was giving money to wasters – why work?! –FDR was in a wheelchair because he had an STD They also put notes in paypackets saying that all the New Deal organisations were made up.

1936 Election In the election of 1936, FDR won the biggest ever victory. He said, “everybody is against the New Deal…except the voters!”

“Illegal!” In 1935, the N.R.A. investigated the Schechter Poultry Corporation. The N.R.A. found that the company had broken N.R.A. laws by selling diseased chickens and threatening inspectors. They sued the company. The company said that they could not do this – the N.R.A. was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court was asked to decide in the “Sick Chickens” case.

Sick Chickens The Supreme Court backed the company. The NRA was illegal! FDR decided to add 6 more judges to the 12 already in the Supreme Court, which would then support him. The supreme court were old democrats. The public were not happy, so he dropped the plan. But he had scared the Supreme Court, who stopped causing so many problems.