The Government Inspector

by Nikolai Gogol

Start Free Trial

Student Question

How did perceptions of government's powers and responsibilities change in the 1930s?

Quick answer:

In the 1930s, perceptions of government powers and responsibilities shifted dramatically due to the Great Depression. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the government expanded its role by implementing federal programs for economic relief and job creation, and regulating banks and the stock market to prevent future crashes. This marked a shift from the prior belief that aid was the domain of private charities. The expectation emerged for the government to maintain welfare programs and actively support economic stability.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In the 1930s, following the Great Depression, president Franklin D. Roosevelt created federal programs to aid in economic relief and the wide-scale creation of jobs in order to recover the economy. Additionally, through FDR's programs, the state gained the ability to regulate banks and the stock market to prevent another crash. Prior to the Great Depression, aid was considered to be the realm of private charities and churches and the state was not seen as a means for the public to gain economic or material aid. President Hoover, who was in office during the onset of the crash, shared this belief in nonintervention and sat by and watched as millions of people lost their jobs and suffered.

This expectation of the state changed dramatically once the economy crashed, and in order for the oppressive institution of capitalism and the state to continue, the federal government would have to step in and revitalize the economy. Of course, this reviving of the economy was framed as helping poor Americans who had suffered immensely under the Great Depression and were in need of material and economic aid. For the state, these programs allowed for more workers to enter the economy and for capitalism to continue to survive. After the Great Depression, an expectation of the state to maintain federally instituted aid and welfare programs became much more widespread.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial