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Roosevelt and the New Deal, 1933-41 » The Alphabet Agencies: Work and Relief for the Unemployed

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Section A, Investigation A3, Key topic 4

Why Roosevelt set up new agencies to put the unemployed to work
What the CCC, FERA, CWA and PWA each did
How well each one worked, and where they fell short
How to answer a “Describe TWO features” question

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Jobs first: why the agencies were needed

When Roosevelt took office in March 1933, about a quarter of American workers had no job. Charities and local councils had run out of money. Roosevelt wanted relief (quick help for people suffering now) and he wanted it to reach as many people as possible. During the Hundred Days Congress created many new government bodies. People nicknamed them the Alphabet Agencies because they were known by their initials.

Key terms:

Alphabet Agencies: the new government bodies of the New Deal, known by their initials, such as CCC and PWA.
Direct relief: handing out money or food to people who are out of work.
Work relief: paying people a wage to do a job, rather than just giving them a hand-out.

Roosevelt and his adviser Harry Hopkins preferred work relief. They believed that a wage kept up a person's pride and skills, and that the country gained something useful in return. This lesson covers four agencies that dealt with unemployment: the CCC, FERA, CWA and PWA.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

The Civilian Conservation Corps was set up in March 1933 (the law was signed on 31 March). It gave work to young unemployed men, aged 18 to 25 at first, from families on relief.

Where they worked: in camps in forests and the countryside, run with help from the army. They planted trees, built roads and paths, fought forest fires and worked on flood control and national parks.
Pay: $30 a month, of which $25 had to be sent home to their families.
Size: at its peak, about 500,000 men were enrolled at once, and over three million passed through the CCC before it closed in 1942.

How well did it work? It was one of the most popular New Deal schemes. The young men got food, healthy outdoor work and money for their families, and the country gained forests and parks. But it was open only to young men, women were left out, and Black men were mostly placed in separate camps. The jobs were also temporary and did not help older workers with families to support.

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA)

The Federal Emergency Relief Administration was set up in May 1933 and run by Harry Hopkins. Congress gave it $500 million. It did not give help itself. Instead it gave grants to state and local governments, who then paid out relief to people in need. Much of this was direct relief, but FERA also paid for work relief, such as repairing roads and schools.

How well did it work? It meant that the federal government, not only local charities, now helped the unemployed, which was a big change from Hoover's approach. But some states were slow or unfair in how they spent the money, and the payments were low. Many people disliked taking direct relief.

The Civil Works Administration (CWA)

In November 1933 winter was coming and millions were still jobless. Roosevelt set up the Civil Works Administration, again led by Hopkins. This time the federal government paid wages directly.

It gave jobs to about four million people within weeks.
Workers built and mended roads, schools, playgrounds and airports.
The jobs paid real wages, not hand-outs, so the money was spent in shops and helped local businesses.

How well did it work? It was quick and it helped many families through the winter. But it was very expensive, and Roosevelt worried that it would cost too much and make people depend on the government. He closed it in the spring of 1934 and the workers lost their jobs. It lasted only a few months.

The Public Works Administration (PWA)

The Public Works Administration was created in June 1933 under the National Industrial Recovery Act, with $3.3 billion to spend. It was led by Harold Ickes, Secretary of the Interior, who was determined that no money should be wasted. The PWA did not hire workers itself. It paid private building firms to put up large projects such as bridges, dams, hospitals and schools, for example the Triborough Bridge in New York.

How well did it work? The PWA left behind useful buildings and roads that people still use. But Ickes was so careful that money was spent slowly, and the jobs it created were mainly in construction, so it did less in the early months to cut unemployment than the quicker CWA.

✅ Strengths

Millions of people got jobs or help
Wages kept up pride and spending
Roads, parks and public buildings were built
The federal government accepted responsibility for the unemployed

❌ Weaknesses

Many jobs were short-term
Some groups, such as women and Black Americans, got less help
Costs worried Roosevelt, so the CWA was closed
Millions were still unemployed

The overall result

The agencies made a real difference to millions of lives, but they did not end unemployment. It fell from about a quarter of workers in 1933 to around one worker in seven in 1937, and rose again the year after.

Common mistakes

Mixing up the CWA and the PWA. The CWA paid people directly for a few months. The PWA paid private firms to build large projects over a longer time.
Saying FERA hired workers itself. It gave money to the states.
Describing an agency without saying how well it worked. Always link what the agency did to its success or limits.

Exam-style question

Describe TWO features of EITHER the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) OR the Public Works Administration (PWA). [6 marks]

Model answer

(I have chosen the CCC.) One feature of the CCC was that it gave work to young, unemployed men. It took men aged 18 to 25 from families on relief and sent them to camps in the countryside, where they planted trees, built roads and fought forest fires. At its peak about 500,000 men were enrolled.

A second feature was the way the men were paid. They received $30 a month, but $25 of it had to be sent home to their families. This meant that the scheme helped whole families on relief, as well as giving the young men food and shelter in the camps.

What lifts it to the top level: it gives two separate features and supports each one with accurate, specific detail.

Exam tip

Choose the option you know best, then write two separate paragraphs. Start each with the feature, then add two facts such as a date, a number or an example. One feature on its own can score no more than 3 marks.

Recap

The Alphabet Agencies were new government bodies, and four of them dealt with unemployment.
The CCC (1933) gave outdoor work to young men and sent $25 of their $30 monthly pay home.
FERA (1933) gave $500 million in grants to states for relief.
The CWA (winter 1933-34) gave about four million jobs quickly but was closed because of its cost.
The PWA (1933) paid firms to build big projects slowly and carefully. Unemployment stayed high.

Exam tip

For each agency learn three things: who it helped, what it did, and one limit. That gives you the detail for “describe” questions and for judging success.

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