FDR and the New Deal: Achievements, Limitations and Failures

The stock market crash of 1929 marked a new era for the United States. The roaring twenties came to a screeching halt and many Americans faced absolute poverty in a country which was a beacon for hope, liberty, and wealth. Little was being done about this issue, especially by Herbert Hoover, the current president, whose "hands -off" approach to government did little to fix the dire situation Americans found themselves in. Though many Americans were deep into poverty, they still turned out to the polls and Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. The New Deal was a strategy of Roosevelt's to handle the problems of the depression, as he said in his own words, "Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself...".# His strategy included relief for unemployed and poor Americans, economic recovery, and reform of the financial system.…