The Great Depression and the New Deal in the United States - Detailseite

In 1932, at the height of the worst economic crisis the US had ever seen, democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt promised the American people a new deal – a “call to arms” to fight unemployment, poverty and economic depression. What later became known as the “New Deal” was a series of financial, economic, social as well as environmental policies that had a profound impact on the US.

The seminar will start with an analysis of the Great Depression, going on to focus on the economic and social reform policies during Roosevelt’s presidency in the 1930s. It will look at the theoretical foundations of the reforms, their implementation and impact. Second, students will develop case studies on specific families and their transnational connections based on empirical analyses. The course will also address the more general question of governments’ scope of action in economic crises and if there is a historical “lesson to learn” from the New Deal, as many pundits have been arguing since 2008.

Edsforth, Ronald (2000): The New Deal. America's response to the Great Depression. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers (Problems in American history).

Lawson, R. Alan (2006): A commonwealth of hope. The New Deal response to crisis. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Rauchway, Eric (2008): The Great Depression & the New Deal. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press (Very short introductions, 166).

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