Экономическое развитие США в начале ХХ века и Великая Депрессия — страница 9

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pre – World War I levels. In return for price supports farmers had to agree to reduce production. 4.     The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began constructing dams on the Tennessee River electrical power. The TVA sponsored many programs for improving life in a large area of the South. 5.     The National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) set up the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to aid industry and labor. The program tried to help get higher prices for industry and higher wages for labor. The American people were encouraged to buy from stores that displayed the Blue Edge, a sign which indicated participation in NRA programs. The Public Works Administration (PWA), created by the same act as the NRA, provided jobs by financing the

construction of roads and other public works. 6.     The Civilian Conversion Corps (CCC) provided government jobs for unemployed youths. Much of their work was devoted to planting trees, protecting, and building parks. 7.     The federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) provided direct aid to the unemployed. In 1935 the New Deal was concentrated more on reform than on recovery. Roosevelt wanted to deal with the causes of the Great Depression. He wanted American wealth to be distributed more equally. This required the passage of several new laws. The Revenue Act of 1935| provided a national pension system, unemployment insurance, and benefits to the wives and families of deceased workers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) gave

labor unions the opportunity to win better wages. In July 1935 Congress passed Labor Relations Act. Known as the Wagner Act – after senator Robert E. Wagner, who introduced it – it strengthened the power of the labor unions. The Wagner Act helped workers by outlawing unfair practices. Employers could no longer refuse no bargain with union representatives or prevent workers from joining unions. The act set up National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) which gave labor unions the opportunity to win better wages. Probably the hardest battle of the New Deal was fought over the Social Security Act. Many people opposed such a plan because of its costs to businesses. Roosevelt wanted everyone to be included, however. Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor and the first woman ever appointed

to a President’s cabinet knew that many people were against such a sweeping bill. In 1935 she drew up the first Social Security Act. The plan was a form of insurance. Employers and workers would pay taxes to create funds to cover unemployment benefits, old-age pensions, programs for children or insured workers who died. The bill covered only about half the work force. Farm and domestic workers were left out. Despite these limits, however, it gave millions of workers a sense of security. The New Deal succeeded in putting many people back to work It gave recovery to the farmers and to businesses. But recovery was slow and painful. 3. Government’s efforts to reduce immigration to the USA. Efforts to limit immigration had begun early in the decade. In 1921 Congress passed an act

limiting the number of immigrants from eastern and southern Europe – the Europeans most anxious to come to the United States. In 1924 and 1929 Congress imposed even more restrictions on immigrants. Thus, the nation’s history of nearly unlimited European immigration came to an end. Meanwhile, most Asian immigration was still banned. Anti-immigration laws, however, did not apply to people from Americas. Nearly 500.000 people immigrated from Mexico in the 1920s, and 950.000 from Canada. Most Mexicans migrated to the Southwest, where their labors played a vital role in the growth of farmlands, railroads, and mines. As the anti-immigrant mood gripped the nation, an old organization took on new life. Leaders of the Ku Klux Klan, which had terrorized black southerners during

Reconstruction, saw a chance to expand the Klan’s strength beyond its base in South. In 1920 the Klan hired two sales agents to help achieve its goal. In a public campaign boosting “100 percent pure Americanism,” they directed hatred against anyone who was not white or Protestant. White – hooded Klansmen and their wives now terrorized Catholics, Jews, Asians, and immigrants as well as African Americans. By 1925 the Klan had as many as 5 million members. They helped elect five United States senators and four state governors – in northern as well as southern states. However, the Klan’s increasing violence began to weaken its appeal. When a Klan leader was convicted of murder in 1925, membership began to drop. By 1930 the Klan had only 50.000 members. 4. Opposition to