9
DAY 1-2 / SEPTIEMBRE 2018
GLORIA SOUTO
English Teacher
Roosevelt: A role model for democracy
The roaring twenties was a time of great achievements for the United States. It was a time where people felt that they good improve their standard of living through credits and new technology. Having just recovered from the First World War, people wanted to remain in this era of prosperity and development which is why the idea of the economy collapsing was unimaginable even though there were signs that things were about to change. As a result of the crash, five thousand banks had failed, and by the end of 1932, millions of workers were unemployed.
After ten booming years how was such a powerful country going to recover. The answer came in the shape of Mr. Franklin Delaney Roosevelt. He won the presidential election and did so by a landslide, capturing 57% of the popular vote and forty-two of the forty-eight states. His optimism, passion, and the unappealing alternative of another administration under President Hoover, the scapegoat of the crash, convinced a tormented nation to put another Roosevelt in office. Once elected, he introduced the ‘New Deal’ which was a series of programmes and projects aimed to restore prosperity for Americans.
In my opinion, Roosevelt tried his best at improving the economy after its collapse. Some of his ideas benefitted the financial system, yet some did not. However, what we must take into consideration is that no matter what plan arose from this, its recovery was going to be a long one. His first 100 days in office were crucial; here many decisions, bills and acts were established showing the public that he meant business and that his aim was to make the country prosper again. Even though these decisions were not enough, Roosevelt presented a second New Deal in a continual attempt to get the country back to its previous state, including acts that are still seen today like the Social Security Act, which provided benefits for the elderly and the unemployed.
Overall, during Roosevelt’s time as president he managed to improve the economy and make necessary changes in order to encourage Americans to believe in him and the country. The Great Depression did not end until the Second World War, yet it is not fair to criticise Roosevelt for this as no one had a clear idea or plan on how to end it. However, what we can gain from this is the belief that democracy can survive after such a crisis, unlike what happened in Italy and Germany. The New Deal became a model of how a democratic government should act and this is thanks to Roosevelt’s determination and everlasting hope for recovery.
• History, (2009, Oct 29) New Deal, Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/new-deal
• Clare, John D (2014) What measures did Roosevelt introduce to deal with the Depression?, retrieved from https://www.johndclare.net/America8.htm
• Shmoop, (2018) Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR): 1932 Election, Retrieved from https://www.shmoop.com/franklin-d-roosevelt-fdr/1932-election.html