# Did the New Deal End the Great Depression? **URL:** **By** George Selgin, Trevor Burrus, Aaron Ross Powell **Published:** February 12, 2021 --- George Selgin joins the show again to discuss the New Deal and explain how it is often mischaracterized as successful. ## Summary: George Selgin believes that the New Deal failed to bring recovery because, although some New Deal undertakings did serve to revive aggregate spending, others had the opposite effect, and still others prevented the growth in spending that did take place from doing all it might have to revive employment. What does it mean when the economy shrinks? What were some goals of the New Deal? How did the New Deal fail to reach its goals? ## Further Reading: [The New Deal and Recovery: A New Series](https://www.cato.org/blog/new-deal-recovery-new-series?queryID=7118b69c527750f6af9f3b07dd147fcb), written by George Selgin [The New Deal and Recovery, Part 1: The Record](https://www.cato.org/blog/new-deal-recovery-part-1-record), written by George Selgin [The New Deal and Recovery, Part 2: Inventing the New Deal](https://www.cato.org/blog/new-deal-recovery-part-2-inventing-new-deal?queryID=daebddcd5908686fbf5e0bdbe3298cdb), written by George Selgin