Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)

Résumé du document

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York in 1882. He was born into a well-to-do family of Dutch origin, President Theodore Roosevelt's cousin. The name 'Delano' was the maternal branch of the family which was descended from a Huguenot named Philippe de La Noye who arrived in Plymouth in 1621

Extraits

[...] The Polish question was important for Roosevelt, who wanted to do a favour to the Poles who lived in America and had voted for him. The conclusion was that the next Polish government had to result from free elections. Discussions between the 3 nations were difficult and finally were also agreed on the organization of the United Nations question, an international organization which has as aim the maintain of peace, a project dear to the USA. It's during these different conferences that the American conceptions about a new world were agreed. [...]

[...] In the Gold Reserve Act from 30th January 1934, Roosevelt understood the mistakes that he did. The price of the gold was fixed at 35 dollars for a once, it meant a devaluation of Gold was put out of circulation and it was forbidden to the Americans to possess it. The USA, and England, used the gold bullion standard, i.e. the gold standard in ingot. The result of this monetary policy was to favour the production, and by diminishing the American prices in relation to the worldwide products, to stimulate exports. [...]

[...] Beyond the restarting of the economy, regional reconstruction programs have been taken place, directed at the agricultural, industrial and human development of a region. All these measures of restarting the economy, led to a lot of spending, and needed a decreasing of the federal spending. The Congress gave the permission for the recovery of the manufacture of beer and alcoholic drinks, which brought more receipts, and put an end to the prohibition. All the laws voted during the Hundred Days didn't come from any philosophy, but they were emergency measures aimed to mountain a budget in equilibrium and to restart the American economy which was blocked for a few years. [...]

[...] Contrary of what it was expected, the fund depots were winning on the withdrawal. The banking panic stopped, and the banks were obliged to underwrite an insurance, which guaranteed their depots. Another consequence of the measures was the abandoning of the gold standard. The Federal Government agreed to pay compensations to farmers, if they, voluntary, reduced their production. The work length in the factories was limited to 30 hours/week. Other measures fix the minimum and maximum prices and set up quotas for producers. Track unions of workers were recognized. [...]

[...] They laid off a part of their employees, leading to unemployment and a reduction of demand. Because of this, bankruptcies were common. The agriculture was affected in turn: the consumers cut down, the agricultural surplus piled up, the prices of agricultural products collapsed (these decreased more than half between 1929 and 1932 and even more for products such as cereal and cotton). The crisis spread to Europe because of the established bonds since the World War I between the United States of America and the European economies. [...]