UNIT STUDY GUIDES
Unit II
THE GOVERNMENTAL REVOLUTION BEGINS
Behavioral
Objectives (Test Items)
Here are the
specific tasks you will be called upon to perform on the Unit II Exam. The
information required for mastery of the reading objectives is contained in
Chapters 5-8 of The Great Depression: America, 1929-1941. The
information required for mastery of the lecture objectives is contained in the
lectures for this unit - "FDR As A National Leader", "The New
Deal Work Programs in Central Texas", and "Water and Wires - Flood
Control and Electricity in the Lower Colorado River Valley".
READING OBJECTIVES
"The Lord of
the Manor"
- Describe how Franklin Roosevelt's family
background molded his concept of public service and stewardship as well as
aristocratic paternalism.
- Be familiar with Franklin Roosevelt's political
career prior to his nomination for the presidency in 1932.
- Describe briefly the relationship - both marital
and political - between Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt.
- Identify and describe those circumstances or
qualities that produced the "extraordinary public affection for
FDR".
"And
What Was Deal Was Hope": 1932 and the Interregnum
- Describe in detail the political environment as
the election year of 1932 began being sure to identify each of the
following: (a.) citizens' assessments as to responsibility for the
Depression, (b.) Republicans' view of Hoover and their chances of
retaining the presidency, (c.) Democrats' view of their chances of winning
the presidency.
- Be familiar with the various candidates for the
Democratic presidential nomination and the forces within the party they
represented.
- Describe in detail the campaigns waged in 1932
for the presidency by Franklin Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover being sure to
identify general strategies, specific issue stances, and special
problems/difficulties each candidate faced.
- Be familiar with the extent of the Democratic
victory in the 1932 elections.
- Describe in detail the deepening Depression
during the interregnum between FDR's election in November, 1932 and his
inauguration in March, 1933 being sure to cover each of the following:
(a.) the increasing decline in agriculture, (b.) farm discontent expressed
by "penny auctions", (c.) the refusal of either Hoover or
Roosevelt to deal with the "lame duck" session of Congress, (d.)
the deepening banking crisis across the country, (e.) the effort of Hoover
to force his ideas upon FDR, (f.) the reticence of FDR to do anything
until he took the oath of office.
"
Action and Action Now": The Hundred Days and Beyond
- Describe in detail the environment which
prevailed politically at the time of FDR's inauguration and the
opportunities this particular environment afforded the incoming president.
- Describe how FDR dealt with the banking crisis
immediately following the inaugural, demonstrating how his actions were
quite conservative politically and how the willingness of citizens to
accept his assurances exemplified his high credibility as his presidency
began.
- Be familiar with the diverse nature of FDR's
political appointments and advisors and how this reflected his managerial
style.
- Identify and describe those factors McElvaine
offers for FDR's extraordinary success in dealing with Congress during the
"Hundred Days" of 1933.
- Identify and describe in detail each of the
following landmark programs of the First New Deal: (a.) Agricultural
Adjustment Act (and its impact), (b.) Federal Emergency Relief
Administration, (c.) Public Works Administration, (d.) Civilian
Conservation Corps, (e.) Tennessee Valley Authority, (f.) National
Recovery Administration, (g.)Home Owner's Loan Corporation, (h.) Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation.
- Be familiar with the author's arguments that the
New Deal of 1933-34 was: (a.) "...not based on philosophy or economic
theory, but on political considerations", (b.) so diverse because FDR
was trying to satisfy, or at least placate, so many competing political
and economic factions, (c.) relatively moderate/conservative in nature
though it made fundamental changes in American government and society.
"Fear
Itself" : Depression Life
- Describe in detail the feelings of self-blame
and worthlessness suffered by millions of Americans who lost their jobs
and were forced to take relief during the early years of the Depression.
- Identify and describe in detail the changing
economic role of women during the Great Depression, the discrimination
employed women faced, and the tensions with the family that female
employment generated.
- Describe in detail the impact of the Depression
and the New Deal on black Americans.
LECTURE
OBJECTIVES
"FDR As A
National Leader" (HIS2613.HUP.22641x)
- Identify the different roles a president is
called to fill in domestic affairs and evaluate FDR's performance in these
areas.
- Compare and contrast in detail Herbert Hoover
and Franklin Roosevelt in each of the following areas of public
perception: (a.) passivism vs. activism, (b.) ideologue vs. pragmatist,
(c.) uncaring vs. caring, (d.) pessimist vs. optimist
- Evaluate Roosevelt's performance as president
during the Depression years of 1933-34: How successful was he in ending
the economic collapse? How successful was he in helping Americans cope
with the Depression? Why was he so popular with the majority of Americans?
"The
New Deal Work Programs in Central Texas" (HIS2613.HUP.22642x)
- Identify the concept and purpose of the CCC and
be familiar with specific examples of CCC projects in Texas.
- Identify the concept and purposes of the Public
Works Administration and be familiar with specific projects in Central
Texas that were built in part with funds from the PWA.
- Identify the Works Progress Administration and
be familiar with specific projects in Central Texas that the WPA worked
upon.
- Identify the concept and purpose of the National
Youth Administration and be familiar with the work of the NYA in Central
Texas.
- Describe the early efforts of NYA State
Administrator Lyndon Johnson to funnel NYA funds to black Texans and the
political danger in doing so.
- Evaluate Congressmen James Buchanan and Lyndon
Johnson's success in securing New Deal funds for Central Texas and
identify the reasons for their success.
"Water
and Wires - Flood Control and Electricity in the Lower Colorado River
Valley"
- Identify the various potential uses/benefits of
the Colorado River which had originally attracted settlers to the Central
Texas region.
- Be familiar with the historic problem of
flooding along the Colorado River and attempts to control the problem
being sure to identify the major floods of the Depression era of the
1930s.
- Describe in detail life in the Texas Hill
Country prior to the acquisition of electricity being sure to cover each
of the following areas: (a.) agriculture, (b.) household chores, (c.) indoor
plumbing, (d.) refrigeration/heating/cooling, (e.) sanitation, (f.)
entertainment
- Identify the reasons Hill Country residents had
been unable to obtain electricity prior to the New Deal of the 1930s.
- Describe in detail the manner in which Central
Texas was finally able to control flooding being sure to cover each of the
following: (a.) the creation of the Lower Colorado River Authority, (b.)
the role of the Public Works Administration, (c.) the importance of Texas'
congressional delegation, including James Buchanan and Lyndon Johnson, in
obtaining federal funding, (d.) the role of Buchanan, Mansfield, and Tom
Miller Dams in the Highland Lakes chain administered by the LCRA, (e.) the
advantages besides flood control subsequently enjoyed by Central Texans
- Describe in detail the manner in which Hill
Country residents, like rural dwellers across the United States, finally
acquired electric service being sure to identify the role of the Rural
Electrification Administration and the Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
- Identify the reasons the successful marketing of
electricity in both the urban and rural areas of Central Texas was so
critical to the financial viability of the LCRA.
© L. Patrick
Hughes, 1999
