Sunday, December 3, 2017
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration (PWA) was a part of the New Deal of 1933, and it was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in response to the Great Depression. The main focus of this administration was to build public works such as dams, bridges, hospitals, and schools. All of these were meant to provide employment, stabilize purchasing power, and help revive the economy. Within the first year of building, the Public Works Administration spent $3.3 billion, and $6 billion by the year 1935. The PWA created an infrastructure in the 1930s that still remains crucial today. At the time, most people were in favor of this administration, as it made daily life easier with better roads for transportation, better schools for education, and better means of healthcare. However, the PWA did receive a great deal of criticism because they were not able to return the level of industrial activity to pre-depression levels after spending more than $6 billion, so people felt as though their money had gone to waste. Also, they were not able to significantly reduce unemployment levels or help many businesses. However, the PWA was responsible for restoring America's condition. While the Great Depression was a very bad time for the United States, the PWA was able to revive schools and hospitals to make America a better place.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The PWA was one of the biggest programs that worked towards rebuilding the infastructure of our economy. Because of the new jobs that were made available because of this program, men were able to find jobs to finally be able to feed their family. Another aspect of support that it provided was that our morale support. People now felt better about themselves because they were able to finally be working for money; something that they hadn't been able to do in a very long time.
ReplyDeleteThis program was a wise decision on the part of the government. They may not have been able to regain all that they had lost, but it would be nearly impossible to recover quickly after such a devastating blow to the economy and moral of the people. I believe that if the PWA hadn't been put into place, America would have stayed in its depression for much longer and caused even more chaos throughout the world.
ReplyDelete