How Did The Great Depression Change Social Structure

The Great Depression was a very influential era in American history, affecting many future generations. One of the most prevalent impacts it had on society was the extreme poverty that swept across the nation, affecting both people in cities and in the country. The main cause for this poverty was the mass loss of jobs among the middle class. Millions lost their jobs and consequently their homes. Families lived out of tents and cars in shanty towns or Hoovervilles. In these camps, many people didn’t have their basic human needs met, children and adults alike starved. They lived in clothes that were caked in dirt and tattered, too small for growing children and too cold for the frail elderly. Government relief programs attempted to help but offered little support to the now impoverished families of the millions that lost everything.

The stock market crash of 1929 sent the nation spiraling into a state of economic paralysis that became known as the Great Depression. As industries shrank and businesses collapsed or cut back, up to 25% of Americans were left unemployed. At the same time, the financial crisis destroyed the life savings of countless Americans (Modern American Poetry). Food, housing and other consumable goods were in short supply for most people (Zinn 282). This widespread state of poverty had serious social repercussions for the country.

The events of the 1930’s, or the Great Depression, did the most to influence contemporary America. During the twenties, America was at its most prosperous economic times until the stock market crashed in 1929. The stock market crash led to a dramatic decline of the U.S. economy. The decline in the economy changed Americans everyday lives. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and he created the New Deal to provide relief, recovery and reform. The Depression impacted America in the 1930’s in every aspect of life and still impacts America today. Although contemporary America was shaped by many events that occurred in the 20th century, America was most influenced by the 1930’s because of legislation that improved daily life

Families had to split up in search for work and many children got jobs to make extra money for their families. In 1933, when Roosevelt took office, “24.9% of the total workforce or 12,830,000 people were unemployed” according to the FDR Library. This statistic shows just how much the average American was struggling to keep themselves and their families afloat. The FDR Library also states that “drastic drops in farm commodity prices resulted in farmers losing their lands and homes due to foreclosure” and that “gangs of unemployed youth, whose families could no longer support them, rode the rails as hobos in search of work.” The previous excerpts depict America’s loss of stability because the people providing food were out of jobs and parents had to send their children away since they could not afford to care for them any further. Thankfully, President Roosevelt and his administration stepped in soon afterward to correct the

Another way the great depression affected the people was children, The children would leave their families to help them, So they have one

The Great Depression was the single worst economic crisis ever experienced by the United States. In President Franklin Delano Roosevelt 's own words, by 1933 fully one-third of the nation 's citizens were ill-housed, ill-clad, and ill-nourished. Roosevelt 's was a presidency sired in crisis and sustained in war, and the very fabric of American society could not but be fundamentally altered as these extraordinary years progressed (Heale 2001, 16). One such fundamental change pertained to the American family. The Great Depression would forever reform the ways in which women in America were perceived, utilized, and ultimately, needed. Eliciting deep wellsprings of resourcefulness and ingenuity, the Great Depression demanded that women assume

Among many historical dark events, the dark age of the Great Depression is noticeable for its “great” impacts on society and nation. Once the economy began to crumble in the early 1930s, thousands of bank failed and closed. The unemployment rate rose up to 25 percent and homelessness increased. The dust bowl greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American. Demoralizing despair was spreaded around the country and global trade collapsed 30 percent.

During the great depression I think that our society thought of themselves as broken because of the state of our economy and the amount of people out of work. The country was at its lowest point having taken the biggest hit to the economy possible. Everyone looked at what was happening and saw nothing but a broken economy and a struggling people. They had to focus on feeding themselves and their family so when it came to time to think what their responsibility was to the rest of the world they couldn’t get over how broken they were so they were no use to anyone else. They were to busy thinking of themselves to be of any help to any other people. When World War two started it pulled our society together once again to face a threat that was more

American life prior to World War II may have not been the best from 1931-1939. Already in the Great Depression that started in 1929 people were left very discouraged and hopeless. In 1932 the economy was the worst it had ever been, it had hit rock bottom (p. 850). Many had lost their jobs and over 11 million Americans could not find work (p. 850). America was at its worst and people were hungry, suicide rates had risen and people were having less children than ever before. People’s reaction to the

The Great Depression of the 1930s undoubtedly marked a period of massive change and devastation throughout the entire nation. People of all backgrounds were plagued by destitution and insufferable living conditions, while unemployment rates had soared beginning with Black Tuesday, to the point where the public had begun to lose hope for the future. In enduring all of the instances of negative change, the people, whether of white or black heritage, whether rich or poor, had all shared one set of characteristics in common: the foundation of human nature. In the set of circumstances which had unfolded before the weakened citizens of the United States, unity had become less of a stretch, even necessary to maintain the nation’s former glory and prosperity, and the promise of liberty had become increasingly essential to sustain the drive of the people to pursue their passions uninterrupted by the economic depression. As is natural of such a turbulent time period, various works have been composed relating to the Great Depression, several of which invoke the components of human nature. Indeed, human nature had upheld the nation throughout the 1930s; without the consistency of humanity in times of desperation, there would be all but no support for the faltering economy and lifestyle. However, given the Great Depression’s sheer influence upon human nature, in times of change, whether beneficial or deleterious, society bends in the direction of prosperity.

The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.

The Great Depression of the thirties remains the most important economic event in American history. It caused enormous hardship for tens of millions of people and the failure of a large fraction of the nation’s banks, businesses, and farms. The stock market crash in October 1929 is believed to be the immediate cause of the Great Depression, but there were many other factors and long-term causes that developed in the years prior as chain-of-events leading to the depression. For instance, inequality of wealth within the U.S. itself was the major concern for the country. The lower class people including farmers and labors income was only to where they can barely afford their living expenses, moreover, people’s wages stayed the same even as prices for goods and services sky rocketed.

United States in 1930’s - Context of To Kill A MockingBird The Great Depression (effects food and jobs) Initialised by United States in 1929 the great depression was considered the longest and most severe depression ever experienced in the western word. As the stock market crashed, consumers stopped spending and investments dropped resulting in unemployment. When the Great Depression reached its worst point in 1993 over 15 million americans were jobless and over half the banks were not operating. In addition there were more homeless, house prices plummeted over 30%, global trade dropped by 60% and prices fell by 10%.

The Great Depression challenged the American society in various ways;placing economic strains, and demands upon family members. By 1929, it is clear that too much money was being put into stock speculation, which causes the stock market crash. Many citizens have trouble paying their bills and are encouraged to reach their American Dream. Americans start to buy on margin and put themselves in large debt. The unequal distribution of nation's wealth supports the unemployment rates and a numerous amount of smaller businesses are drawn in by larger companies. From this novel, readers are able to get a load of some of the experiences society faced with from these hard times.

The Great Depression occurred between the years 1929 and 1939 in America. The Great Depression was the longest-lasting economic downfall in America’s history. During the Great Depression there were approximately 15,000,000 unemployed Americans, which was about one quarter of America’s entire workforce. The effects that the Great Depression had on society where so massive that these effects can still be felt today. The causes of the Great Depression can be linked back to economic problems within America during the late 1920s, specifically “installment buying” and buying stocks “on the margin” which ended up bankrupting many homeowners and investors; as the stock market crashed in the year 1929. Following the stock market crash, arose bank failures, factory closings, and widespread unemployment. The stock market crash of 1929 occurred on a Tuesday and so this day was coined as “Black Tuesday”. The stock market crash on “Black Tuesday” is considered by most to be the main cause of the Great Depression. However, there are many more factors to be considered before autonomous fault can be assigned to the 1929 stock market crash.