the Works Progress Administration
/ðə ˌwɜːks ˈprəʊɡres ədmɪnɪstreɪʃn/
/ðə ˌwɜːrks ˈprɑːɡres ədmɪnɪstreɪʃn/
(abbreviation the WPA)
- a US government programme (1935-43) established by President Franklin D Roosevelt as part of his New Deal. Its name was later changed to the Works Projects Administration. It created millions of jobs for unemployed people during the Great Depression, mainly in building and the arts.