Reforms During Crises & Pandemics: US Recessions and FDR’s New Deal

I recently explored the article “Out of pandemic crisis, what could a new New Deal look like?” by Michael Tackett and Josh Boak to enhance my learning from the History Hub textbook’s Chapter 9: FDR’s New Deal on the need for reforms during crises. This is an important topic as the US cycles through periods of recessions, creating opportunities for leaders to enact meaningful change. US citizens currently await progressive change, imitating President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)‘s New Deal that alleviated the Great Depression, to bring them out of the recession created by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The article discusses the current need for reforms like the New Deal. The authors utilize a primary source, 1930s pictures of workers and Roosevelt, to demonstrate how the New Deal implemented government-sponsored reforms, creating jobs that catalyzed the economy. This relates to information in the coursebook about how the US came out of the 1930s crisis due to the radical changes implemented by FDR’s ardent leadership, especially in his “First Hundred Days,” during which he repealed prohibition and restored the banking system.

The article also emphasizes the need for political bipartisanship in bridging the divide between Democrat and Republican ideologies on investment in infrastructure, technology, and healthcare. The authors utilize a secondary source, Allan Winkler’s quote, stating that “in our fragmented body politic, it would take an extraordinary person to do what is necessary.” With the ideological split on what programs will benefit America, citizens seek a united administration to bring long-lasting changes. The authors quote Goodwin, as a secondary source, stating that “to break through [the] extreme partisanship…it takes a crisis.” This shows that further second-quarter economic output declines of 30%-50% will perhaps coalesce the leadership for a “new” New Deal. These perspectives pinpoint the concepts of bipartisanship and leadership needed to galvanize the economy, as in the coursebook.

Additionally, the authors suggest the need for strong leadership in battling recession. They use a secondary source, the book “Leadership in Turbulent Times” by Doris Goodwin, to highlight effective leadership qualities. Roosevelt, a president mentioned in Goodwin’s book, is known for serving as a beacon of hope, confidence, paternalism, and support as he united the country and transitioned it out of the Great Depression. With the upcoming presidential election and the looming recession, citizens must responsibly choose a candidate encompassing these qualities.

The authors claim that unprecedented changes need to be topped with humility. This claim is supplemented with a secondary source, a quote from Price Fishback, who states that “once we think we got it licked…we get slammed in the face again.” Even the New Deal reforms did not guarantee insurance from future recessions, including the US’s current situation.

Using FDR’s New Deal as a model and considering the US economy’s cyclical nature, the authors synthesize arguments that reforms are a must for the current recovery. The article from the History News Network and Associated Press provided a new perspective on leadership qualities and ameliorations needed to stimulate the US.

Works Cited

History Hub, sites.austincc.edu/caddis/fdrs-new-deal/.

“Out of Pandemic Crisis, What Could a New New Deal Look Like?” History News Network, historynewsnetwork.org/article/175199.

Tackett, Michael. “Out of Pandemic Crisis, What Could a New New Deal Look like?” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 25 Apr. 2020, apnews.com/06bc980d01efba6f1252ad042ea7d29b.