During the Great Depression did FDR help the economy?
Can't decide, since he did try
I think he did help the economy. His public works projects employed many people and also improved our infrastructure. The government also subsidized writers whose books were used as references for at least two generations.
''President Roosevelt believed that excessive competition was responsible for the Depression by reducing prices and wages, and by extension reducing employment and demand for goods and services,''
''So he came up with a recovery package that would be unimaginable today, allowing businesses in every industry to collude without the threat of antitrust prosecution and workers to demand salaries about 25 percent above where they ought to have been, given market forces. The economy was poised for a beautiful recovery, but that recovery was stalled by these misguided policies."
-this states that FDR made it worst
As you've discovered, Roosevelt's policies, as are all political actions, was and still is controversial.
Read widely and make your own decision.
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) implemented various policies and programs to address the economic crisis. Whether or not FDR's efforts actually helped the economy is a subject of debate among historians and economists.
To determine if FDR's actions positively impacted the economy during the Great Depression, one approach is to examine the policies he implemented and their outcomes. Some key initiatives undertaken by FDR include:
1. The New Deal: FDR's New Deal was a series of programs aimed at providing relief, recovery, and reform for the American economy. These programs included the creation of agencies such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided jobs and income to millions of unemployed Americans.
2. Financial Reforms: FDR implemented several financial reforms to stabilize the banking system and restore confidence in the economy. These included the Emergency Banking Act, which declared a banking holiday to stop bank failures, and the establishment of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which insured bank deposits.
3. Social Security: FDR signed the Social Security Act into law, introducing a system of old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, and welfare programs to provide a safety net for Americans.
While these measures provided immediate relief to millions, some argue that they did not directly solve the economic crisis and that recovery only came with the onset of World War II. Others contend that FDR's policies laid the groundwork for long-term economic stability and contributed to the eventual recovery.
To form an informed opinion, it is recommended to study the different perspectives of historians and economists, analyze economic data and trends, and consider the wider context of the Great Depression and the challenges faced by FDR during his presidency.