The New Deal in Dawson County, Nebraska

The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 reflected a major change in the political thinking of the American people. Although this change was largely brought about by the economic difficulties of the 1930\u27s, the success and popularity of the Roosevelt Administration solidified this change, forming among certain interest groups an almost permanent New Deal philosophy. The farmers of the Great Plains, particularly those of Nebraska, did not follow the pattern set by other economic groups. Even though they gave Roosevelt overwhelming support in 1932 and generally approved of the economic benefits of the New Deal farm program, by 1940 they had returned to their traditionally Republican voting habits. The purpose of this study was to find out how the New Deal affected the people of this region and why this farm area turned away from Roosevelt. In order to accomplish this goal, a detailed examination was made of Dawson County, Nebraska, in the 1930\u27s