The status quo of the US society was largely overwritten by a single man back then. This included extraordinary (for the US) measures like expropriating gold[0]

The status quo of the US society was largely overwritten by a single man back then. This included extraordinary (for the US) measures like expropriating gold[0] and The New Deal (which concentrated a lot of power in the hands of the state). But then everything went back to normal (he's the reason why there is a maximum of 2 presidential terms now). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102