...Different If President Franklin Roosevelt and the National Industrial Recovery Act Had Never Existed? According to former President Franklin Roosevelt, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NRA) which was passed by Congress on June 16, 1933, is "the most important and far-reaching ever enacted by the American Congress," This law was established to help bring the world out of the Great Depression. The Great Depression is defined as the economic crisis suffered when the stock market crashed in late 1929 and continued through the 1930’s era. During this time, the NIRA allowed employees to right to organize without the interference of their employers. The employees were given the right to organize and bargain using whomever they chose to represent them. Without the NRA and Franklin Roosevelt, unemployment would have crippled a nation. During this time period, approximately one quarter of workers were unemployed. Had President Roosevelt and his entrusted advisers not come up with a plan to bring the United States out of this economic travesty, the world as we know it today may not exist. We could have very well continued on being poor and manipulated by those with power. The various laws we have I place protecting us as workers wouldn’t exist and we may not have necessarily had the freedom and rights that we have the privilege of having today. Works Cited http://www.socialwelfarehistory.com/new-deal/national-industrial-recovery-act-of-1933/ Twomey, D. P. (2013). Labor and Employment...
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...Georgia Gardner Strayer University Professor Irina V. Nowak CONTEMPORARY US HISTORY “PROGRESSIVE ERA THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION” August 3, 2013 Introduction: The Great Depression was an era in the American history that so many people would wish to forget. The 1920s saw the country going through various phases of poverty resulting from the crash of the stock market, job losses, collapsing of businesses in all industries in the country. The Great Depression was like no other crisis the country faced, it was never ending and there was suffering everywhere especially among the poor. There were three major factors that contributed significantly to the Great Depression with the most important being the ‘crash’ of the stock market, this is due to the fact that the strength of the United States of America was measured in many ways by the success of the stock market and with the stock market thriving as it was there was noticeable growth in various business entities. With the growth of the stock market, the rich investors also prospered as they could afford to purchase various stocks, at the same time the Federal Government reduced taxes especially for them. Not long after, came the ‘crash’ of stock market which sent Wall Street into a state of panic and literally crippled many big investors, and this ricochet to other industries such as Agriculture, which was already on the decline, the automobile and the construction industry also suffered as...
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...FDR made a huge difference in the country’s economy by making the New Deal, designed to get America out of the Depression. FDR’s plan using the three R’s – Relief, Recovery and Reform was really helpful to the economy but some people seemed to strongly disagree on his methods. To begin with, FDR’s New Deal seemed to only help employees, and this maddened not only the employers, but also the companies themselves. “Nearly every public statement form Washington is against stimulation of business which would end in the end create employment” (Document B). This is trying to say that with FDR’s plan to not produce unnecessary product in order to not spend money that could be saved makes companies need less employees, and that creates more unemployment overall. Furthermore, the New Deal “began to find expression in diverse forms which were often contradictory. Some assisted and some retarded the recovery of industrial activity.” (Document D). People were confused as in what was what FDR was really trying to achieve with contradictory organizations like The National Recovery Administration- which controlled the industry codes in a really unfair way – and the Public Works Administration – a plan to spend (maybe waste?) 6 billion dollars from the American Government in building unneeded bridges, roads etc just so some people could get jobs. Some people also believed that having the employees’ wages increase “[has] no direct relation to interstate commerce.” (Document F) This meant that...
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...most of their farm land. There was also agricultural overproduction, which resulted in an uncontrollable disaster for the workers. Thus, the Congress launched the Agricultural Adjustment Act to try to combat the farming disaster. This act set quotas and limitations on agricultural production by paying the farmers money to not to plan as much crops. This act successfully slowed down the production and caused increased income for farmers and raised farm prices. However, this act only benefited the interest of landowners and not those who were sharecropping because it led the eviction of many poor tenants and sharecroppers, which was not very effective in its goal. Agricultural Adjustment Act also met a lot of criticism and was ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Courts, saying that the act cause many to kill off livestock and crops. This act also caused farmers to become migrants who “have gone through the hell of the drought, have seen their lands wither and die and the top soil blow away; and this, to a man who has owned his land, is a curious and terrible pain,” (Voices 168), John Steinbeck stated in his writing, the Harvest Gypsies. Steinbeck described the condition and feeling of the farmers that were forced to move and travel. He used this to explain how the Agricultural Adjustment Acts resulted in many farmers losing...
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...Depression? There are several reasons behind what actually caused the Great Depression. The Great Depression was not the first the nation experienced, but it was the most memorable. With recklessness on Wall St. Stock Market – excessive greed “buying on the margin” and over speculation. The banking industry took a dive for the worse. Farmers suffered tremendously because of the plummeting agricultural prices. Hoover attempted to intervene, but the acts passed by Congress and signed by him were the worst. Many believe it caused the problem to exacerbate. Hoover signed the Smoot- Hawley Act, which raised taxes. Raising taxes at a time of a depression was the worst. It was guaranteed to be doomed. President Hoover did led the Food Relief Effort, which put food into the hands of many Europeans during the world wide depression. During the Election of 1932 Hoover is defeated by Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt attempts to pass a number of acts in 100 days. This is also called the New Deal. Roosevelt’s New Deal was put into place to help the struggling economy during this very fragile time. In 1933, Legislation was passed under Roosevelt. The...
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...growth and end the depression. Soon money starts to cycle and dollars start to circulate. As we know the first deal controlled production by limiting production and kept things stable. With the second deal people were not spending enough money so they came up with ways to help make improvements. One way that was put into effect was the Social Security Act. That act put money in the hands of the elderly to be able to spend once they are able to retire. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935 which did help provide income for poor elderly persons. During these ruff times and being elderly was not easy. The Great Depression cause age discrimination within jobs and made it hard for the elderly to find jobs. The next thing to help the economy was the Wagner Act that came into effect in 1935. The Wagner Act was a guarantee right that workers were treated right and with respect. It made it possible for workers to have fair pay and have justified labor. The Wagner Act established the rights of employees to organize, join, or aid labor unions and to participate in collective bargaining through their representatives. The act also authorized unions to take intensive action for these purposes. This meant that workers could lawfully strike and take other peaceful action as a way of placing pressure on an employer. This was banned employers from engaging in unfair labor practices that interfere with the union rights of...
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...a solution for relief of the needy, economic recovery, and financial reform came into play. This proposal was introduced by Roosevelt as the New Deal and shook the entire nation for the hope that they were looking for. Although not all of the plans for this proposal were accomplished, it took great part in lowering the unemployment rate, it created acts and legislations that helped bring back the economy, and impacted our outlook and actions towards the environment. Roosevelt quickly took over as he began his term to work to put the New Deal into effect. In just the beginning of his time in office, he had initiated 15 big pieces of legislation. One of the first acts that he started was the Emergency Banking Relief Act of 1933. At the time, banks had been closing far and wide throughout the nation due to terrified citizens that were withdrawing all the money that they had. The Emergency Relief Act regulated banking and foreign exchange, and also reopened closed banks. This helped gain some of the Americans trust back, but not all of it. To help the people gain more confidence in their banks again, the Glass-Steagall Act was also launched which ensured individual bank accounts under the form of the Federal Deposit Insurance. Statistics show that because of these acts of legislation, bank failures went from thousands, to only 57 in 1934. The actions to turn the country around however, did not stop there. Roosevelt also passed acts that...
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...contributions to the higher pay, improved working conditions, better benefits, and overall greater standards achieved through collective bargaining. Solidarity, a motto of unions, keeps members bonded to each other and the union through shared problems and experiences. Some corporations and economists believe that labor unions are cartels that create monopolies and regard them as a detriment to the capitalist vision. Antiunion opinions stem from the seemingly untouchable status of labor unions and the favor and protections given to them by the federal government. Labor unions are nearly as old as America herself. Although primitive unions of carpenters and other tradespeople made an appearance in various cities in colonial America, the first national labor unions didn’t gain strength until the 1820s. During this time, workers banded together to reduce the working day from a grueling 12 hours to a more manageable 10 hours. In 1866, the Nation Labor Union persuaded Congress to cut the workday down to today’s eight hour standard. As early as 1909 eastern European immigrant steel workers attempted demonstrations of solidarity for humane working conditions. However, due to language barriers they were exploited and easily divided (Brody 153). These early efforts, along with those of washwomen, factory, mill, and postal workers paved the road for labor unions in the United States. According to Merriam Webster’s definition, a labor union is an organization of wage earners or salaried employees...
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...economy and, most of all, it created hope. Significance and key objectives of the New Deal: The real significance of the New Deal was that it increased both the size and the power of the federal government. The federal government grew after the Civil War, but the New Deal sped up the growth rate. Americans were looking to the national government for assistance in all areas of their lives. FDR was the man for the job. The New Deal had three objectives. They were relief, recovery and reform. The 3 R’s The administration knew that they needed to take immediate action or relief to stop the panic and downward spiral of the economy. To do this, FDR closed the...
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...President Herbert Hoover had tried to mend the situation, however, due to his previous laissez-fair or hands-off policies he made the depression worse. In 1932, hope was restored as the charismatic Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected into office and with his New Deal plan to provide relief, reform, and recovery he led the country back into economic prosperity. The Franklin D. Roosevelt administration was efficient in solving problems of the Great Depression and expanding the role of the federal government in the sense that...
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...In 1932, the United States was experiencing the worst economic downturn the industrialized world had seen. This was marked by a significant drop in employment, consumer spending and investment, and industrial output. That same year, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) ran and was elected as the 32nd President of the United States. Shortly after he took office, he began to reform the American economy by declaring a National Bank Holiday. Although this was a vital first step to providing relief to the U.S., FDR’s most well-known program was the New Deal. The New Deal was designed to provide much-needed relief, recovery, and reform to America during the Great Depression. However, the New Deal was both unconstitutional and undemocratic due to the over-extension...
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...Labor Unions — Are They Still Relevent Labor Unions were formed in the mid-19th century in response to the changes brought on by the Industrial Revolution. The labor unions were established to help workers with low pay, unsafe working conditions and long hours—to name a few. Their main goal was to ensure that all working people were treated justly in the work force. “Working people have a lot of concerns in this economy. They want decent pay. They want benefits. And of course they want job security. All the reasons why they need union representation” (Crane, 2012). Is that statement still true today? Do labor unions want the best for the working person or are unions another example of something good gone bad? Many people believe Labor Unions were essential in the 19th century but now with government oversight and business practices, unions are no longer required. Labor Unions Needed Agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions during the Industrial Revolution. As the revolution progressed, business moved from a mom-and-pop model to a machine-and-factory production model. Families quickly moved from the rural areas to the cities. They hoped to improve their standard of living. This meant ever member of the family had to work, regardless of sex or age. People worked for long hours for low wages, in dangerous and repetitive conditions, and with little-to-no job...
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...there are some with other opinions, and say that some businesses cannot afford to pay more and might have to lay off workers, reduce hiring, or even close down due to low expenses. Increases have been shown to make it more difficult for low-skilled workers with little or no work experience to find jobs or become upwardly mobile. In 1939 the Women's Party of Connecticut argued that while the minimum wage law covering women and minors was designed to protect them, it was actually harmful and the conditions placed on their employment made them less employable than men. The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), the first piece of legislation that attempted to establish a federal minimum wage, was passed by congress and signed by President Roosevelt in 1933. NIRA was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935 as it was deemed an "unconstitutional delegation of legislative power." Elements of the NIRA, such as minimum...
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...created jobs through the Civilian Conservation Corp. (CCC) and the Civil Works Administration (CWA). Roosevelt stopped the run on banks by regulating the banking system and appeasing the public through his fireside chats. FDR and Congress enacted many bills that helped people during the Great Depression and some are still in effect today. There is three basic categories of the New Deal: relief, recovery,...
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