National Recovery Administration: Created in 1933 as part of the National Industrial Recovery Act, the NRA was meant to eliminate "destructive competition." The NRA allowed businesses and workers to collude in order to control the market. Workers were allowed to set minimum wages and maximum hours for the industries in which they worked and businesses were allowed to set minimum prices. The NRA was ended when it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1935. Many businesses that did no support the NRA were boycotted by workers.
Federal Communications Commission: The FCC was created by Congress in 1934 as a successor to the Federal Radio Commission. It regulates the use of radio waves and interstate and international communications. This role was previously held by the interstate commerce commission. The Federal Radio Commission had been criticized as being under the control of the industry it was supposed to be regulating.
Social Security Act: The Social Security Act provided insurance and aid to many groups that were suffering from the Depression. It was the first act of Congress to provide help to the elderly. Social Security programs are funded by a payroll tax. The act was controversial at the time it was passed, its opponents claiming that it would cause people to quit working in order to get a check from the government. Others argued that it would actually cause old people to retire, allowing younger workers to find jobs, which is what did happen. The act has been criticized as racist and sexist, as many of the jobs worked by women and African-Americans were excluded from the insurance programs.
Works Progress Administration: The WPA was the largest of all the organizations created as part of the New Deal. Founded in 1935 in an executive order from Roosevelt, the WPA eventually employed almost 8 million people. The WPA built a huge number of public works projects, many of which remain to...