Chapter 4, Cradle to Grave Summary and Analysis

Roosevelt won the presidential election of 1932, and brings about a needed change in policy. Roosevelt supported policies of active intervention in the economy by government. These ideas are known as the New Deal, a series of programs of government spending that begin in 1933. "The New Deal also included programs intended to be strictly temporary, designed to deal with the emergency situation created by the Great Depression. Some of the temporary programs became permanent, as is the way with government programs" (Chapter 4, pg. 84). Some of the public works programs, such as the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), serve the purpose of providing jobs for the unemployed. These were temporary programs.

The U.S. entry into World War II brought about a shift to a wartime economy, which emphasized planning, thus ending the...