There were mixed reactions to the New Deal.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Roosevelt wanted measures to bring about the recovery and rebuilding of the American economy.
2. [1] Roosevelt wanted the New Deal's aims to be 'relief, recovery and reform'.
3. [1] He wanted to give people hope.
4. [1] He intended to introduce measures to bring relief to the poverty-stricken.
5. [1] He wanted to create employment through new agencies.
6. [1] The New Deal included improving working conditions and pay for the employed.
7. [1] He wanted to bring stability to the banking system.
8. [1] He wanted to re-build the economy, both in industry and agriculture.
9. [1] Roosevelt wanted the New Deal to create a fairer and more just society.
10. [1] Farmers were overproducing.
11. [1] The US could not export grain because of the tariff system.
12. [1] Agricultural prices had fallen.
13. [1] Farmers could not earn enough to live on.
14. [1] They could not pay their mortgages or loans for machinery.
15. [1] Many farmers were evicted and became homeless and unemployed.
16. [1] There were many problems facing agriculture.
17. [4-5] The Agricultural Adjustment Act was introduced because farming was in crisis and farmers could not live on what they earned. Prices had fallen because US farms were overproducing and were not able to export their surplus because of the tariff system. Many farmers could not afford to pay back loans which they had taken out to buy new machinery. This resulted in eviction and unemployment. The Agricultural Adjustment Act aimed to address this by cutting production to raise prices.
18. [1] Business leaders in the Liberty League opposed the New Deal.
19. [1] Republicans believed in minimal government intervention and low taxation.
20. [1] Some Republicans thought Roosevelt was acting like a dictator.
21. [1] Some state governors argued that the New Deal laws conflicted with the rights of state governments.
22. [1] Individuals like Huey Long, Francis Townsend and Father Coughlin thought Roosevelt should do more than the New Deal.
23. [1] The Supreme Court had to uphold the Constitution.
24. [1] Opposition came from the law, political parties and individuals.
25. [7-9] Business leaders were opposed to the New Deal. In 1934, they formed the Liberty League to unite the opposition against FDR's new policies. They thought the welfare payments made by the New Deal were too generous and undermined the American characteristics of self-reliance and 'rugged individualism'. They were opposed to trade unions and particularly disliked the NIRA. They were a serious threat because they were influential in political circles, both Democrat and Republican.
26. [7-9] Probably the most serious opposition to the New Deal came from the Supreme Court. They were concerned that FDR was over-extending his power and taking away rights which should have belonged to the states rather than the federal government. By the end of 1936, the Supreme Court had ruled against seven of the nine cases about the New Deal which had come before it. As a result of these cases, the AAA and NIRA had both been declared unconstitutional.