Examiner’s Specific Advice

This question is testing several skills and also your knowledge of the topic. Because the question is on an important topic, you are expected to know the main details, in this case the impact of Roosevelt’s New Deal policies on the economic problems of the US during the great depression. You are also required to provide a historical explanation and make a substantiated judgement. 

As always with an essay-type question, relevance is the key – your answer should be as concise as possible while taking into account all the demands of the question and its specific wording. The key thing is not to narrate and describe, but to keep focused on assessment of the extent to which the New Deal had achieved its aims by 1936. Note that it is important to address the key dates in the question. Whatever your approach, do make a judgement and back it up with selected evidence.

Exemplar Question

1 (02) How far had the policies of Franklin Roosevelt solved the economic problems of the United States by the time of his re-election at the end of 1936?    [24 marks]

 

Plan

• Introduction – the context of the New Deal in Roosevelt’s first term and an overview of the argument you are going to follow
• The successes of the First New Deal
• The failures of the First New Deal and the extent of opposition to FDR’s policies
• The aims behind the launch of the Second New Deal in 1935; the impact of the New Deal on the economic problems of the US by the end of 1936
• Brief conclusion focused on assessment

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2