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To What Extent Did Roosevelt's New Deal Programs Aid the End of the Great Depression in the United States?

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On October 29, 1929 marks the official opening of the Great Depression. During 1933, the unemployment rate in United State reached 25%; it was not until the second quarter of 1933 where the US economy started to reclaim. President Franklin D. Roosevelt formed the foundation of the New Deal within the First Hundred Days when he came into power. To determine the New Deal Program’s role during the Great Depression, the sources used in this investigation include: The Great Depression and the New Deal by Robert F. Himmelberg, and Depression Decade: From New Era through New Deal, 1929-1941 by Broadus Mitchell. There will also be a discussion involving World War II’s role in ending the economic crisis. A journal article “The Reality of the …show more content…

During the famous First Hundred Days, the Emergency Banking Act was the initial to come out of President Roosevelt’s program. This measure empowered the government to close banks that were closed to collapse and reopened when readied. With this new act, the general public was no longer afraid and regained confidence in the banking system. "The tendency to hoard cash diminished rapidly, panicky withdrawals ended, money returned to checking and savings accounts, and the banking system stabilized."
Despite the economic recovery caused by the First New Deal, the Great Depression continued. So in 1935, Roosevelt launched the Second New Deal, this time more aggressive than ever. The Second New Deal included Works Progress Administration (WPA) and National Labor Relations Act or Wagner Act. Most of the measures released between 1935-1936 were leaning towards the general public. This lead “many business leaders perceived the Second New Deal’s labor and work relief policies as anti business. Particularly towards the Wagner Act, which established the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). This agency had the ability to protect workers’ rights from any encumbrances. The board prohibited five unfair practices:
"(1) interference with employees in the exercise of guaranteed rights; (2) financial or other support of a company union; (3) use of hiring and firing to encourage membership in a company union or

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