Roosevelt had to deal with much opposition to the New Deal.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2024). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] He was angry that the Supreme Court acted against the New Deal.
2. [1] He asked Congress to let him appoint six new Supreme Court judges.
3. [1] He claimed the judges were too old and were reactionary.
4. [1] He wanted judges sympathetic to the New Deal.
5. [1] He claimed that there were not enough judges on the Supreme Court to get through all their work.
6. [1] Roosevelt backed down.
7. [6] (Level 4) He had to do so much because the situation in the USA was desperate. There was an enormous amount of unemployment. Many farmers had lost their farms and were without a job. In the cities, millions of people lost their jobs in industries that had to close. They had to sell their houses or could not pay their rent and ended up on the streets with no job and nowhere to live. People were searching through rubbish tips for food and shanty towns were appearing. Roosevelt knew that he had to act fast because there were so many people suffering.
8. [5] (Level 3) Roosevelt acted swiftly during the 'Hundred Days' because the US faced a desperate situation: widespread unemployment, millions losing jobs and homes, farmers losing farms, and people searching for food in rubbish tips amidst shantytowns. Recognizing the immense suffering, he knew immediate and extensive action was crucial.
9. [1] (Level 2) The situation in the USA was so bad with many people unemployed.
10. [1] (Level 2) This was because there were so many people in poverty.
11. [1] (Level 2) It was important the banks were saved.
12. [1] (Level 2) It was to get the USA out of depression.
13. [1] (Level 2) He wanted to improve urgently agriculture and industry.
14. [1] (Level 2) It was important to let people know that something was happening.
15. [1] (Level 2) He had made promises in the election campaign.
16. [1] (Level 2) He wanted to secure his position as president.
17. [1] (Level 2) It was important to restore confidence in the economy as quickly as possible.
18. [1] (Level 1) Roosevelt did a lot very quickly. He introduced the Alphabet Agencies like the Civilian Conservation Corps.
19. [10] (Level 5) Although businessmen and the wealthy opposed the New Deal, they did not have much effect on Roosevelt. The main reason there was opposition was because the New Deal did not go far enough. This was the main reason because it was criticism that affected Roosevelt and led to the Second New Deal. This focused much more on practical help for people - helping the unemployed and the poor, building housing, letting people join unions and giving farmers loans. These measures met some of the criticisms of people like Huey Long.
20. [6] (Level 3) The most important reason was because the New Deal interfered with business. The leaders of business thought that governments should not interfere with business. They argued that business had done well in the 1920s because it was left alone. They were against government having a say over wages and working hours as in the National Recovery Administration. They said this was like communism. These men were very powerful and so their opposition mattered a lot.
21. [6] (Level 3) There were other important reasons why there was opposition to the New Deal. One was that it did not do enough. This criticism came from Democrats rather than Republicans. For example, Huey Long criticised the New Deal for not helping people enough. He put together his own scheme called Share Our Wealth which would reduce the fortunes of the very rich and give everyone a guaranteed minimum wage. Long had enormous amounts of support but was assassinated.
22. [1] (Level 2) Powerful people like businessmen and the wealthy did not like the New Deal.
23. [1] (Level 2) Critics said it was a form of socialism.
24. [1] (Level 2) Critics thought Roosevelt was acting like a dictator.
25. [1] (Level 2) Critics did not like government interference in business or industry.
26. [1] (Level 2) Businessmen thought there were too many codes and regulations.
27. [1] (Level 2) There was opposition because of the support for trade unions.
28. [1] (Level 2) Opponents formed the Liberty League which became important.
29. [1] (Level 2) Schemes like the TVA created unfair competition for private companies.
30. [1] (Level 2) Republicans thought it undermined American values.
31. [1] (Level 2) Criticisms from his own side hurt Roosevelt more.
32. [1] (Level 2) Critics could see there were still many people that were poor.
33. [1] (Level 2) Democrats did not think he was doing enough for the poor, e.g. Huey Long.
34. [1] (Level 2) The unemployed and poor needed more direct help.
35. [1] (Level 2) The Second New Deal dealt with some of the criticisms from Democrats.
36. [1] (Level 2) There was opposition from the Supreme Court which stated parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional.
37. [1] (Level 1) There was a lot of opposition to the New Deal from all sorts of people. However, the New Deal helped a lot of people with jobs and support.