The New Deal

In this concise and lively volume, Ronald Edsforth presents a fresh synthesis of the most critical years in twentieth-century American history. The book describes the collapse of American capitalism in the early 1930s, and the subsequent remaking of the US economy during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency. It is written for a new generation of readers for whom the Great Depression is a distant historical event. The New Deal begins with a careful explanation of the economic history of the Great Depression, and the widespread breakdown of law and order that resulted from four years of collapsing incomes, mass unemployment, and poverty. A compelling picture emerges of the mass misery and fearful social disintegration of the Hoover years, and the enormous enthusiasm Americans initially brought to the programs of the New Deal. Edsforth places the New Deal in the context of its own time, as a response to both the failed policies of the Hoover administration and the rise of fascism overseas. Students and general readers alike will understand and appreciate the swift and effective actions of the Roosevelt administration that reversed the Depression and alleviated human suffering.
With notable clarity, Edsforth shows how New Deal reforms created greater economic security and fostered movements for social justice.