"
But, was that what the New Deal promised - to solve all America's social problems? Not at all; in fact, the New Deal was initiated to a) help pull America out of the Great Depression, which it did; b) to put people back to work, some kind of temporary work at least, to give them dignity and food on the table, which it did; c) to help rebuild infrastructure, roads, parks, etc., which it did; and d) to reform the economy to the point where investors, banks, citizens, and businesses felt more secure, which it did.
Auerbach is clearly not in the "New Left" camp, and he makes good arguments to counter the criticisms of the "New Left," but that was a long time ago, and the New Deal looks pretty good from the perspective of 2005, when one considers what any alternatives might have been able to accomplish.
References
Auerbach, Jerold S. (1969) New Deal, Old Deal, or Raw Deal: Some Thoughts on New
Left Historiography. The Journal of Southern History 35 (February): 18-30.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Educational Programs. Accessed 22 February, 2005 at http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/index.html.
Garraty, John a. (1973). The New Deal, National Socialism, and the Great Depression.
The American Historical Review 78 (October): 907-944.
Kirkendall,...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now