In response to the economic crisis of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) implemented a series of programs and policies collectively known as the New Deal. The New Deal aimed to provide relief, recovery, and reform to the American people and the economy.
One of the main responses by the FDR administration was the creation of various government agencies and programs to provide jobs, support struggling businesses, and regulate the economy. Some of the most significant programs included the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which provided jobs for unemployed young men in conservation projects; the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which provided direct relief to the unemployed; and the National Recovery Administration (NRA), which regulated business practices and set minimum wages and maximum work hours.
The New Deal also included long-term reforms, such as the Social Security Act, which established a system of retirement benefits and unemployment insurance, and the Wagner Act, which protected workers' rights to form unions and bargain collectively.
Overall, the New Deal marked a significant shift in the role of the federal government in American society and the economy. Before the Great Depression, the federal government played a relatively limited role in the economy and the lives of its citizens. However, the New Deal programs and policies expanded the federal government's role in regulating the economy, providing social welfare programs, and protecting workers' rights. This expansion of federal power and responsibility would have lasting effects on American society and the role of the government in the decades to come.