«…IT IS STILL A WONDER TO ME THAT WE DIDN’T BLUNDER MORE»: HARRY HOPKINS AND THE EARLY NEW DEAL (1933–1935)

Abstract

The article deals with the social programs in the United States initiated in the first years of the reforms by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, known as the New Deal. The purpose of this study was to analyze the activity of Harry Hopkins in 1933–1935 with the intention of presenting the author’s evaluation of its outcomes. Methodology. The research is based on the traditional narrative history method, along with source criticism, and examines the topic in terms of chronology. The author studied multiple sources to present the historical context of the events, validate the claims in historiography, and formulate her own interpretation of the presented problem in U.S. history. The study referred to the archival and library collections of the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies (RIAS) in Middelburg, the Netherlands. The author used microfilms and technical equipment at the RIAS while working with primary sources (documents, letters, diaries, newspaper articles, etc.). Novelty of the research. The article covers a topic unrepresented in Ukrainian American studies before. It also stands out for appealing to the early period of the New Deal and Harry Hopkins’ role in it (1933–1935), while other works (by American authors first of all) often deal with a broader and, therefore, more generalized context. In conclusion, the author summarized her findings on Harry Hopkins’ leadership in 1933–1935 as head of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. And emphasized the outcomes of the federal relief programs for the unemployed and poor in the frames of FERA, noting that they were often contradictory yet pivotal for shaping the social policies of the U.S. government in the New Deal era.