AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1900 Research Paper Essay

AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1900 Research Paper - Essay Example president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) for his conviction in working towards the betterment of the common man and the economy by his bottom-up approach, even at a time when the members of his own party were against some of his decisions. On the other hand, some are of the opinion that although the New Deal did provide the much needed immediate relief to the nation that was suffering from the adverse impact of the Great Depression, the deal, however, was a failure from a long term point of view and was unable to bring America out of the economic depression. The depression ended only after the United States entered World War II in   1941, when the increased demand for wartime commodities such as ships, tanks, and ammunitions gave the U.S. economy the jump start it needed. The above issues in the American history, when analysed in terms of the Franciscan values, it is observed that although the Franciscan values were not explicitly referred to during these times of struggle, there were ways sought to achieve what are known as the Franciscan values, particularly the values of serving and caring for the poor and the oppressed, working for justice, and taking responsible social action. These values that help an individual or a nation to show compassion, are the most needed, particularly in a situation of distress, when an entire nation is feeling the impact of an economic depression. Also, in such situations, when there are major labor issues, when the definition of the government’s role in the economy is questioned and when the political leaders have to take difficult decisions of entering a war or not, the values of resolving conflict and promoting non-violence come into the picture. The paper talks about the struggle of the American leaders during these periods of economic depression and war, in successfully applying these values to resolve the grave issues facing the nation. The paper first talks about the significance of the New Deal from a short te rm as well as a long term point of view, followed by the circumstances and the causative factors that lead to the New Deal. This is followed by a detailed description of the various steps taken by Franklin Roosevelt in order to successfully implement the New Deal, after which, the paper talks about the achievements of the First New Deal, particularly in terms of the 3 R’s – relief, recovery and reform. This is then followed by the criticisms the First New Deal received which resulted in the birth of the Second New Deal. Lastly, the paper talks about setbacks in the leadership of Franklin Roosevelt including the famous court-packing controversy and the Roosevelt Recession, followed by the conclusion. Throughout the paper, the relation of the historical events and personalities surrounding the New Deal to the Franciscan values and the struggle in applying these values has been clearly demonstrated. Before I get into the circumstances that lead to the New Deal, it is impo rtant to understand its significance in the context of American politics and society. The significance of the deal can be seen in the fact that the deal took place when the nation was going through one of its worst phases and the deal promised to bring the nation out of the economic and the political turmoil. Moreover, the deal paved the path for the application of the concept of welfare state, based on the economic theories of John Maynard Keynes, and for this