The Challenges Of The Great Depression

The America in the 1930s was drastically different from the luxurious 1920s. The stock market had crashed to an all time low, unemployment was the highest the country had ever seen, and all American citizens were affected by it in some way or another. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal was effective in addressing the issues of The Great Depression in the sense that it provided immediate relief to US citizens by lowering unemployment, increasing trust in the banks, getting Americans out of debt, and preventing future economic crisis from taking place through reform. Despite these efforts The New Deal failed to end the depression. In order for America to get out of this economic

The Great Depression was an economic downturn in America that lasted from 1929 until about 1939, making it the longest lasting depression ever experienced by the industrialized world. The stock market crash caused a chain reaction that involved problems such as unemployment, deflation, an increase in debt, and general poverty for lower class citizens. Attempts at escaping the depression weren’t altogether successful. In fact, most of the efforts resulted in high consumer debt as well as over optimistic loans given to the public by banks and business investors. The Depression caused severe political changes in the US as well as its obvious economic failures. After three years of the depression, Herbert Hoover lost the presidential election

During The Great Depression, the New Deal Instituted many programs where some had many accomplishments some many failures and some had both accomplishments and failures. The programs that had the greatest impact of the Great Depression were the creation of the securities and exchange commission, The works Progress Administration, the Fireside Chats, and the Wagner Act. The programs that had some accomplishments and failures were the civilian conservation corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the institution of the Social Security. Lastly, the program that had nothing but failures was the Court Packing Plan.

In conclusion, the Great Depression was a downside of America’s history. But, in the dark times, one of our nation’s best presidents came into light. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. This meant in those times that Americans were doing more harm than good. When they withdrew their stocks and money from the banks, they were causing more damage to the economy. With shutting down the banks and getting congress together, they were able to solve the dilemmas of the Great Depression through actions taken by federal and state

‘The hardships of the Great Depression in Australia were not shared equally.’ (Anderson et. al.,2012)

During the Great Depression, families began to slowly die they were unable to survive due to the unemployment rate. Once the father of the family lost his job it would be very hard to come back from that. In the 1930s, men were expected to be the breadwinners of their families. These unemployed men felt like failures because of their inability to provide for their families. Men were very emotional about losing their jobs and it would lead to fights between the husband and wife. It was very common that a man would leave the family and the wife would be stranded with children. This is where the women really show their significance and step up as a person. Women saw their roles in the household enhanced as they juggled to make ends meet (Ware). They had to find jobs to support their children and provide them with food along with a roof over their heads. Some worked as teachers or nurses, anything that could bring money into their

Former President Calvin Coolidge said, “In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope- nothing of man” and to some extent it was true. Americans lost all hope in life entering a deep dark tunnel with no light in the end. The Great Depression was not something that appeared out of thin air; it grew over time like a tumor and eventually plagued America with an excessive disease. No decade was more terrifying in the twentieth century than the 1930s. The stock market crashing, due to people buying stocks on load, the debts from WWI farmers and consumers in deep debt, and

The Great Depression was a devastating time for many Americans. From 1929 to 1932, the US experienced an economic downturn that was calamitous to the lives of many people. Millions upon millions of Americans lost everything when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. After exiting an era that left people living a life of luxury, the stock market crash came as a surprise. As a result of the stock market crash, many became unemployed and many families were being forced to close their businesses. Although there were many factors that contributed to the cause of the Great Depression, the three main causes were The Stock Market Crash of 1929, high unemployment, a decrease in consumer purchases due to being “stuffed with stuff” during the roaring twenties.

The election of 1932 focused primarily on the Great Depression, the recent economic crisis that had swallowed the nation. At this time, thirteen million people were unemployed and 774 banks were shutting down annually. Economically unstable, Americans turned to Franklin Delano Roosevelt who claimed, “better days were ahead” with his New Deal reformation. He promised economic “recovery, job creation, investment in public works, and civic uplift” (Harvey 88). Immediately upon entering the white house, he began his 3 R process: relief, recovery, and reform (Bateman and Taylor 73). While this revolution would bring reform to U.S banking systems and help improve unemployment, the restoring of economic stability would go unmet; therefore, we must question the true effectiveness of this reformation. Roosevelt is considered to be one of the nation’s greatest and most influential presidents, yet he did not end the great depression as he was expected to. Was FDR as potent as we credit him to be? By exploring society before the depression, comparing presidents prior to FDR, as well as dissecting the success and failures of his New Deal reconstruction, we can analyze and conclude FDR’s true role in healing the nation.

The 1960s to many Americans at the time, was, and continues to be referred to as the

Nations like the U.S and Germany choose to combat the Great Depression through their respective political ideologies and nations like U.S and Britain countered the Great Depression through the creation of public works. Unlike other nations that found internal solutions to the Great Depression, Japan combated the Great Depression externally by expansion. Japan and Britain both counter the Great Depression by placing an emphasis on the development of resources. Unlike other nations, U.S funded governmental organizations and used banking reforms. Both U.S and Germany are combating the Great Depression through their own respective political ideology.

The fortunate middle class Americans unexpectedly, during the Great Depression, didn’t even look twice at the luxuries of the world. Just as any American during that time, they had their focus on the necessities of life such as food and shelter. Many worried about losing their home because they could barely keep up with the paying bills. As a result, the Homeowners Loan Corporation (HOLC) helped refinance home loans supporting Americans and allowing them to stay within their homes. Many middle class and upper class women began writing their own personal budgeting accounts to help them pay bills as well as food. They also taught other women how to properly budget their own small sum of money. They budgeted to help them keep control of the money they had and make sure that they had the right amount of money with them all the time. In an article written by Richard C. and Sharon M. Hanes told a little bit about a lady and how she and other women handled money for the food for their family and others saying, “...prided herself on "making do" when feeding her family. If very careful, a woman could feed a family of six on five dollars a week...Mothers could make a pot roast last an entire week...Vegetable gardens sprang up in backyards and vacant city lots. Women did their own canning, pickling, and preserving…” (Hanes). These women were inspiring and thought of the most interesting

Then shortly after this in 1932 alone 30,000 companies lost their jobs. By 1933 over 12 million people were out of work which is one fourth of workforce. Average income dropped to $1,600 from $2,300 a few years from 1929.(Appleby 535-536) Since people were out of work they often waited in bread lines or soup kitchens to get free food which was handed out by charities. “Peggy Terry, a young girl from Oklahoma City during the Depression, later told an interviewer how each day after school, her mother sent her to the soup kitchen.” (Appleby 536).

The hardships of the Great Depression had tremendous social impact. Some people were so hurt that they lost the will to survive and simply committed suicide. Between 1928 and 1932, the suicide rate rose more than 30 percent. Three times as many people were admitted to state mental hospitals.

“personal assertion of existential meaning in a universe of potential cosmic meaninglessness” (Mast, 246). In the adventure films and Westerns, heroes are willing to challenge authority for their personal beliefs and feelings. They take actions based on individual beliefs, definitions of right and wrong, and the urge to complete their personal goals and dreams. The helpless antiheroes in screwball comedies present the situation during the Great Depression from another aspect. They cannot make choices themselves because of others’ intervention, and unfortunate things just happen to them. The denial of humanness is one feature of antiheroes. Powerlessness of antiheroes in the ridiculous world definitely reflects the desperate situation faced by the Americans during the Great Depression.