Did a liberal central state emerge in the USA in the 1930s? (PDF)

Essay from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 67, University College London, language: English, abstract: The essay deals with the question as to what extent a liberal central state emerged in the US in the 1930s. While many scholars analyse the overall impact of New Deal programmes and agencies to examine US liberalism in the 1930s, this paper analyses them with a focus on race, especially African Americans. It is argued that while the New Deal was indeed an important factor for improving the lives of many Americans during the Great Depression, racial problems of African Americans remained unresolved and many aspects of the New Deal were therefore highly illiberal regarding black Americans.

The paper focuses on the National Recovery Administration (NRA) (in conjunction with the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA)) and Social Security as well as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) in its analysis. After analysing these major aspects of the New Deal, it is concluded that their set-up and implementation permitted the discrimination and disadvantage of African Americans in the early 1930s.Strategic culture in the European Union.