A Nation in Crisis
When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, the United States was in the depths of the Great Depression. Banks had failed, unemployment was enormous and confidence in the economy had collapsed.
A Larger Role for Government
The New Deal brought a collection of programs designed to provide relief, recovery and reform. Some created jobs and public works, while others changed banking rules and established new forms of economic security.
A Debate That Continues
The New Deal permanently changed expectations about the federal government’s role in the economy. Supporters saw it as necessary action during an emergency; critics worried about government power. Either way, it became one of the defining political transformations of twentieth-century America.