The essay deals with the question as to what extent a liberal central state emerged in the US in the 1930s. While many scholars analyse the overall impact of New Deal programmes and agencies to examine US liberalism in the 1930s, this paper analyses them with a focus on race, especially African Americans. It is argued that while the New Deal was indeed an important factor for improving the lives of many Americans during the Great Depression, racial problems of African Americans remained unresolved and many aspects of the New Deal were therefore highly illiberal regarding black Americans.
The paper focuses on the National Recovery Administration (NRA) (in conjunction with the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)) and Social Security as well as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) in its analysis. After analysing these major aspects of the New Deal, it is concluded that their set-up and implementation permitted the discrimination and disadvantage of African Americans in the early 1930s.Strategic culture in the European Union.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- To What Extent Did a Liberal Central State Emerge in the 1930s?
- The New Deal: A Halfway Revolution?
- Race as the Achilles Heel of the Liberal Tradition
- The Impact of the New Deal on African Americans
- The National Recovery Administration (NRA)
- Discrimination and Disadvantages for African Americans
- The Social Security Act of 1935
- Exclusion of African Americans from Social Security Benefits
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to investigate the extent to which a liberal central state emerged during the 1930s in the United States, focusing on the impact of the New Deal on African Americans. By analyzing key aspects of the New Deal, such as the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and the Social Security Act, the paper argues that while the New Deal brought improvements for many Americans, it failed to address racial issues and, in many ways, perpetuated existing racial inequalities. The paper explores the ways in which the New Deal's implementation and policies discriminated against African Americans, highlighting the limitations of liberalism in the 1930s.
- The rise of the liberal central state in the US during the 1930s
- The impact of the New Deal on African Americans
- The limitations of liberalism in addressing racial inequality
- The role of the NRA and the Social Security Act in perpetuating racial disparities
- The enduring legacy of the New Deal and its implications for contemporary society
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins by establishing the historical context of the 1930s, highlighting the Great Depression and the significance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. It then examines the debate among historians about the degree to which the New Deal constituted a “halfway revolution” and the lasting effects of the New Deal on US political life.
The paper then turns to the analysis of key New Deal programs, starting with the National Recovery Administration (NRA) and the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA). While the NRA was designed to stimulate economic recovery, the paper shows that it implemented in a way that perpetuated discrimination against African Americans. Local officials, who were largely responsible for allocating relief funds, often reinforced the southern political and racial hierarchy, resulting in the exclusion of African Americans from many benefits. This was further exacerbated by the exclusion of African Americans from craft unions and the fact that they were forced to pay higher prices for goods and services despite not benefiting from the higher wages mandated by the NRA.
The paper then focuses on the Social Security Act of 1935, arguing that its design was both gendered and racial, excluding a large segment of African American workers. The Social Security Act prioritized the "vitality of the male head of household," ignoring the family structures and needs of African Americans and perpetuating existing inequalities.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The paper's focus on the New Deal, African Americans, race, liberalism, discrimination, the National Recovery Administration (NRA), the Social Security Act, and the limitations of the liberal state makes these keywords crucial for understanding the work's central themes and arguments. It delves into the complex interplay of economic policy, racial inequality, and the evolving political landscape in the 1930s.
- Quote paper
- Carolina Gerwin (Author), 2018, Did a liberal central state emerge in the USA in the 1930s?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/510902
