IB History Political Impact of the Great Depression in the USA Key Definitions

A system in which permanent public agencies use delegated authority and specialist knowledge to implement and enforce government policy.

A process where employees, typically represented by a trade union, negotiate with employers over wages, benefits, and working conditions. The Wagner Act (1935) gave collective bargaining federal legal protection in the United States, establishing the National Labor Relations Board to oversee union recognition and representation elections.

The informal alliance of Republicans and mainly southern Democrats that blocked or limited further New Deal reform from the late 1930s.

A system in which federal, state, and local governments share funding and administration rather than operating in separate policy spheres.

Roosevelt's unsuccessful 1937 proposal to appoint additional federal judges when older judges declined to retire, potentially adding six Supreme Court seats.

A period of prolonged high unemployment and low investment in economic activity, more severe and longer-lasting than a recession.

A monetary system in which the value of money is tied to the value of gold. A country must hold the same value of gold as it has money in circulation. This limits how much money can be printed and helps prevent inflation, but also restricts economic flexibility.

The minimum wage that a worker needs to earn in order to meet their basic living costs, including food, housing, and other necessities.

A series of programmes, public works projects, financial reforms, and regulations introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939 in response to the Great Depression. Key agencies included the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA), and the Social Security Administration. The New Deal expanded the federal government's role in the economy and established the principle that government bore responsibility for citizens' basic welfare.

The electoral alliance of southern whites, many urban workers, immigrant and religious minorities, farmers, reformers, organized labour, and increasing numbers of African American voters that supported the Democratic Party from the 1930s.

A public system funded through contributions or taxation that protects people against risks such as old age, unemployment, disability, or loss of income.

An employer or union action prohibited by labour law, such as interference with lawful organization or refusal to bargain.