Mrs. Ruland's U.S. History Class Project
Public Works - Is it Socialism?
Matthew D.
Immediately after his election in 1935, FDR moved quickly to create programs designed to support American citizens by providing paid government jobs and public projects. The most prominent of such public work providers was the Public Works Administration; it created work for the unemployed and jump started the nation's industry to pre-Depression levels through heavy spending and numerous social projects that produced dams, highways, bridges, schools, and homes. The PWA improved the financial straits of families, communities, and eventually, through a reverse-domino effect, the nation as a whole. However, the idea of government buying land through its powers of condemnation smacked of socialism, and a series of federal court cases concerning the practice caused the PWA's ability to buy out land for construction under federal authority was stripped away. The PWA continued its work until the outbreak of World War II, when the US' weapons production for the Allies made efforts to aid industry and the unemployed obsolete. Then FDR transferred it to a branch of the Federal Works Agency.
Merriam-Webster Online - This site, created by a branch of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, provides a quick definition of socialism that states the characteristics of a socialist state, economy or program.
The Public Housing Debate - Established by the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service in 1998, this site presents the debate over the government's power to provide public housing for US citizens. Both points of view are shown, explaining the need for adequate housing and also what led independent contractors whose business was damaged by PWA activity to claim the program had socialist intent.
Charles Edward Coughlin - This site, created and sponsored by Spartacus, outlines the career of one of FDR's most outspoken critics, Father Coughlin, and his changing viewpoints on the New Deal, as well as the circumstances surrounding his changes in position.
Father Coughlin and the Search for "Social Justice" - Created by the Social Security Administration, this page provides a full transcript of Father Coughlin's first speech on the air, praising and throwing the whole of his support behind FDR and his New Deal Policies, which he would later condemn as socialist and anti-democratic.
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr: New Deal Apologist - This site, created by the conservative-leaning organization MoveOff, provides the author's views of liberal Schlesinger's praise of FDR, and more importantly, evidence that supports his claim that FDR's programs gave the American government command of the economy in a socialist fashion.
The New Deal - This site provides multiple standpoints on the New Deal and its political angle, including FDR's opinion of his programs and that of an objective historian in 1944, recently following the events of the New Deal.
Should Government Provide for the People? - This site from Colorado Education analyses The New Deal's attempts to provide necessities for all Americans, and whether such action is possible or constitutional. It touches on socialist methods of land ownership and housing, and the government's changing role in America through the New Deal.
Greatest Heroes Who Fought FDR's New Deal - this critical view of the New Deal names the main critics and enemies of FDR's policies and their reasons for doing so, presenting the points of view of FDR's opposition.
The PWA – This site supports the PWA's programs and provides examples of their work and their effects later in history. Though concise, it is concise and provides strong facts in support of the PWA's achievements.
The New Deal Network: Public Housing – This site provides a set of primary documents addressing the views of Americans during the New Deal, especially their opinions of the public housing project set up under the PWA.
Last updated March 28, 2007
© Marcella Ruland 1998-2011, All rights reserved
