Product Description

This notably successful history is not simply another narrative of the New Deal. The author considers important aspects of New Deal activity and explores the major problems in interpreting the history of each.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71916 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781566634533
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Library Journal
An interpretive synthesis of the history of the New Deal. Historical writing about that era has been stalemated since the 1960s, when radical critics challenged the dominant liberal interpretation. Though many aspects of this significant period have since been researched, historians largely have avoided the grand interpretation of the New Deal that used to predominate. The result has been many studies but little coherence. While Badger's work can hardly be called a major synthesis, nor can his conclusions be considered startling, it reveals that some sense can be made out of the massive, fragmented body of historical work. The New Deal was not as revolutionary as some have thought, but neither was it as conservative as others have argued. Its significance came from its success in sustaining American society during a period of great stress. A well-written study.
- Charles K. Piehl, Mankoto State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
A superb one-volume synthesis...never loses sight of the critical elements of change and continuity that marked the decade. -- Dan T. Carter

An admirable, unique overview and analysis....This is the finest survey [in over] a quarter-century... -- Frank Freidel

Extraordinarily well researched, clearly written, and balanced. -- James Patterson

Masterfully done...it deserves high marks for its clear and lively prose, sound judgments, and penetrating insights. -- Ellis W. Hawley

From the Publisher
This notably successful history is not simply another narrative of the New Deal. The author considers important aspects of New Deal activity and explores the major problems in interpreting the history of each.

Customer Reviews

a great synthesis
This volume is a great, concise analysis of the New Deal's political economy. Badger opens with a short account of the economic causes of the Great Depression, detailing problems with maintaining consumer demand sufficently to match the overwhelming productive capacities of the American economy. As this gap expanded and factories were forced to go idle, American businessmen followed a range of investment opportunities and incentives overseas (with the hope of helping European economies so they could pay off their World War I debts to Uncle Sam) at the expense of reinvesting in American businesses. Deflationary national and international monetary policies, combined with a worsening international economic situation (which hurt further the production potential of American business) sealed the fate of the American economy in the early 1930s.

Badger looks at the New Deal's response to this dark situation in several areas: industrial policy, labor relations, agrucultural politics, welfare policy and coalitional politics. In each of these areas, Badger emphasizes the constraints that Franklin Roosevelt faced in attempting systematic reform. At first, Roosevelt had to stress recovery over reform: in the dark, dark, days of the winter of 1932-33, people needed a sense that help was on the way immediately not a few months down the line. Later, when the economy at least stablized, he had to assess realistically his desire for economic restructuring and social justice (to the extent he possessed such intentions) against growing congressional conservatism, the power of localism in the administration of New Deal reforms (which usually worked to the benefit of local elites), and the belief of most working and middle class Americans in the American creed of individualism and laissez faire capitalism.

In sketching this, Badger seems to be most interested in countering critiques from the left concerning President Roosevelt and the New Deal. From the left, historians have argued that government and coporate leadership concocted the New Deal to save capitalism and inhibit the native radicalism of the American citizen confronted with the overwhelming catastrophe of the Great Depression. This cabal highjacked revolution and preserved capitalism.

Professor Badger agrees that Roosevelt saved capitalism, but he did so against the tooth and nail efforts of almost all capitalists in America, who did not appreciate FDR's efforts on their behalf. There was no cabal, just a lot of animosity between Roosevelt and industrialists. With a handful of enlightened exceptions (many of whom reaped big time benefits in World War II mobilization) capitalists were too shortsighted to engage in a plot to stave off revolution.

Badger's main critque of Roosevelt is that he should have embraced governmental spending -- Keynsianism -- on a systematic basis much earlier in the 1930s (he grudgingly accepted the eocnomic principles of Keynes only in 1938). This would have raised wages and thus increased demand. Had that happened earlier in the 1930s, Badger argues, Roosevelt could then have focused, if he wished, on the systematic reform of the American economy, and genuine social justice.

Regardless of how you feel about the correctness of Badger's analysis of Roosevelt's motivations and achievements, this is one of the best single volume treatments of the New Deal. It is an excellent case study of the political/historical constraints of politicians and policy makers in America, in the face of certain institutional and political cultural constraints.

Outstanding Book on the Great Depression and the New Deal
Anthony Badger is a most distinguished professor of history at Cambridge in England. Few people better understand the Great Depression in America and the New Deal than Badger. This is a work of the highest caliber.

The book should actually be titled "The Great Depression and the New Deal," because it first brilliantly describes the Great Depression and the causes. He presents differing interpretations, which I really appreciated. Not everyone agrees. Not all aspects of America experienced the Depression the same, so Badger presents several observations. The portrait he paints is simply outstanding.

His analysis of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal is excellent. Badger has read everything written about the Great Depression, it seems. There are no better studies than this book, in my opinion. This is an important and authoritative review of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, and is even suitable as a college text.

My only quibble is that Badger should have more thoroughly covered the massive infrastructure investments that Roosevelt made, which greatly contributed to the economic boom during the second-half of the 20th Century. Badger also does not cover the post-war boom, which is an extension of the New Deal reforms and investments. In my opinion, Badger somewhat focuses too much as the relief aspects of the New Deal, but only slightly.

There recently has been a slight reinterpretation of the New Deal, with an emphasis on the infrastructure investments and the political economy. For example, read "Building New Deal Liberalism: The Political Economy of Public Works, 1933-1956" by Jason Scott Smith. Also read "The New Dealers: Power Politics in the Age of Roosevelt" by Jordan A. Schwarz.

Also consider Schlesinger's classic multi-volume history of the New Deal era.