Everyone says that FDR got us out of the depression, but can you prove it?

Question

every econimist i have read says differently then what historians say. really look at the facts did FDR really do a good job.

if you want to get a good start at seeing how full of **** current history is about FDR i would suggest getting the book FDR's fally by Jim Powell. IF you can even come close to diproving his points, which are simple facts then i will send you 100 bucks LOL

Answer 1

World War II got us out of the depression. The New Deal would have gone nowhere without the need dramatically to improve productivity. The mobilization (and unity) of the war effort got factories active, machinery utilized, new machinery and factories built, and people working. FDR's grand public works were helpful, but insufficient, and the bureaucracy created by the New Deal persists to this day, in a bloated and inflated form. FDR did keep people from starving, and that was good, and we did get the securities laws ('33 Act, '34 Act, and '40 investment company act which made mutual funds possible) and the FDIC. We also got the NLRA, the NLRB, the Social Security Administration, and a whole alphabet soup of agencies, bureaus, and commissions. Some help us, but many were part of a government "make-work" program to provide jobs that we could have done without, but were created nonetheless just so people could have something to do and feel like they were productive. Many government jobs today are still of this order; we could do without them, but they either have survived since the FDR administration or were created in the same spirit thereafter.

FDR was a great president who led the country during a difficult time. His legacy is mixed, however, through little fault of his own, for I don't believe he could have foreseen the bureaucratic nightmare that would still be with us decades later.

Answer 2

I don't know about that - I think the war got us out.

But since we are talking taxes these days in Washington, people should be aware that many changes in taxation occurred during the war. First off, income taxes reached down into a large portion of the population for the first time, and withholding from paychecks was introduced - as a temporary wartime measure! But we still have it.

Also, I believe that health benefits were deemed non-taxable to the employee at this time, which may skew many of the economic incentives in healthcare today. Usually if someone buys you something in exchange for you working for them, it's called income. But health insurance is not. Maybe if the employer just let you buy your own insurance there would develop ways to buy it more cheaply! Who knows.

Also, the Commerce Clause of the Constitution was construed during this time to allow the federal government to do all kinds of things it never before dreamed of doing. Some people still say that was a bad thing!

Just some random thoughts, from memory.

Answer 3

Oh yeah, well who did get us out of the depression then? Where are your links? I'd love to see some facts about that

Answer 4

When FDR took office we were in the worst economic condition in our nations history. when he left office not by choice but by death we were in very good economic condition so Judging by that point it is quite easy to say he did infact get us out of the depression

Answer 5

Everyone says no such thing. Only WWII got us out of the depression.

Answer 6

He had so many programs running but they were supposed to take around 20 years to cycle. WW2 came along and that was the thing that did it............. Many say that FDR's programs would have failed if given the time.

Answer 7

Ask your grandparents and see what they think.