Question

What was one major difference between the First New Deal and the Second New Deal?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, "The First New Deal tried to restore basic economic functions, and the Second New Deal tried to improve people's lives," since the President "gained traction" after the First. 

Answer 2

The major difference between the First New Deal and the Second New Deal is that the First New Deal tried to restore basic economic functions, and the Second New Deal tried to improve people's lives.

Commonly, two New Deals are distinguished: the First, marked particularly by the "Hundred Days of Roosevelt" in 1933, which aimed at an improvement of the situation in the short term. It included bank reform laws, urgent social assistance programs, work aid programs, and even agricultural programs. The Government made important investments and allowed access to financial resources through the various government agencies. The economic results were moderate, but the situation improved.

The "Second New Deal" was extended between 1935 and 1938, putting forward a new distribution of resources and power on a broader scale, with trade union protection laws, the Social Security Act, as well as aid programs for farmers and street workers. The Second New Deal was much more expensive than the first, and increased the public deficit. On the other hand, despite programs such as the Public Works Administration, unemployment still reached 11 million Americans in 1938.