The Legacy Of The Great Depression

The Great Depression was a dark time in American history that lasted from1929-1939. It began after the Stock Market crashed on October 19, 1929. According to A Biography of America: FDR- The Great Depression, “It was the deepest and longest lasting economic downturn in American History” (A Biography of America). As a result of the Great Depression one out of every four Americans was out of work. The Great Depression resulted in a life for Americans that was plagued by overproduction and under-consumption of products, starving families were forced into bread and soup lines, and thousands of agricultural workers became migratory workers in order to survive.

Democratic localism was also enforced to keep the government at bay, allowing people to make their own economic decisions. Capitalism was renewed due to growth. Americans were enjoying various freedoms in politics, religion and travel. Nixon stated in one of his speeches that the United States had “come closest to the idea of prosperity for all in a classless society (166).”

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

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 in America brought a host of movements that pushed for equality, power, and change. Each movement helped to shape and effect the other

The sixties were a time of questioning and rebellion. The baby boomer generation was born into the most powerful, affluent, and influential nation in the history of mankind. Despite this, baby boomers were asked to fight in a foreign war, conform to societal norms, and accept institutional change in their lives. John Ketwig, Bill Ayers, and Robert Coles all showed in their own way the crumbling of American institutions in the sixties due to the belief that the US government was not working for its people. No other time in American history saw so much activity in terms of political and social movements and it brought the country into the age of questioning and rebellion which remains today.

American life was transformed in the 1960s from the start of the decade. The 1960s consisted of new rights and new understandings of freedom. The sixties consisted of rights for racial minorities to be involved in the mainstream of the American lifestyle. However, unsolved issues of urban poverty still existed. Women in the 1960s established a conversion in women’s status, for instance, women entered the paid workforce. America experienced a growth of conservative movements, consequently, the 1960s would confront judgment for social ill, crime and drug abuse and drug abuse as well as decline respect towards authority. In despite of crisis, America became a tolerant nation. The sixties are known as a decade of drastic change, rebellion, and backlash. Also, for the American individuals that came of age during the sixties, the generation known as the “Baby Boomers,” wanted to change the culture of their parents. Terry Anderson and Peter Clecak both present different judgment of the social activism of the 1960s. Terry H. Anderson, from the The Sea Change, implied that the sixties achieved a positive transformation within politics, society culture, and foreign power. Anderson believed that America became more democratic as well as comprehensive. (361) On the contrary, Peter Clecak, from The New Left, argued that radicals failed to revolutionize in the sixties and additionally became powerless against the dominant social order. (361) Although certain Americans opposed and judged

Cecchetti, Stephen G. "Understanding the Great Depression: Lessons for Current Policy ." Monetary Economics (1997): 1-26.

In chapter 21, the Great Depression greatly affected the migrant families and local farmers. Mold of cruelty is a metaphor describing the harsh living condition that the migrant workers received from the landowners. In California, the local landowners didn’t want the migrants to take over “their land” so they armed themselves in order to prevent any uprising and threatening actions that will threaten their superiority. They felt they had a right to treat the migrants bad because they were the first to claimed the land. This treatment could be linked to WWII as the Nazi discriminated the Jews in Germany and in the United States, some people are still discriminating that immigrants the moved to the United States. Although, the men that were armed

The 1960's were a time of radical change in the society of America. A sense of liberalism could be felt though out the counting during the middle of the decade. The infamous Vietnam War and the new alternative culture were pushing the United States towards a time of liberalism and a nationwide rebellion against the social norms. The first combat forces were sent to Da Nang in 1965, by a formally anti war President, Lyndon B Johnson. The question of why the United States was engaging in a war between North and South Vietnam was raised. Anti war rebellions sprouted up all across the country, all asking the same question, “What are we fighting for?” This alternative culture started to develop though out America. Men, women, youth and

There was a steel mill company created in the 1900 in Gary by a president of the United States name Elbert H. Gary it was named after him. The steel started getting popular because everyone nationwide was using it to build railroads and homes. There three things they used to make steel such as iron ore, limestone, and coals. There was variety of coals that was used but the only one they use was called coke they had to burn a fuel that turned into coke. In order for them to make it, they had to make the coke burn at an extremely high temperature so they can produce it to melt big quantity of limestone and iron ore.

Once World War II ended, it was like large weight had been lifted of the shoulders of not only the American people. In light of the heavy tole that this war, a preceding depression the nation was ready for a time of peace. The decade after this era stood in contrast, with numerous riots and turbulence due to major social changes. Because of this major contrast in two adjacent decades in history, many historians have come to conclusion that the fifties were a time of conformity, and collectedness, as well and prosperity due to the great economic output of the time. And the contrasting period of the 60’s lives up tot the nick name of the “stormy sixties” a name representative of the culture and over all attitude toward life the American dream at the time. A cloudy confusion of what was wanted and needed to be done, just a roller coaster of a decade. When we look at these eras we see that what the facts tell us are only “skin deep” and that if one is to look closely at the events of these two decades, the changes that occurred and actions taken by people have affected people in this era and will continue to effect people for generations to come. Just like many of the decisions made by our founding leaders still affect this nation today, and up for debate today. With this in mind, one must remember that the facts are concrete but interpretations of these facts can differ. And so, Historians are correct for the most part, but are incorrect in saying the 50’s represented a

If one asks most Americans their opinion about when our nations’ economy crashed the most severely, they would most likely say the period between October 1929, until 1930 when the United States went through the great depression. The great depression was a time where people lost nearly everything, from houses and farms, to families and children. People were starving and left out in the cold. The worst part about this was that once people lost their belongings, they were gone forever. In the 1900’s there weren’t many programs to help the public such as health insurance, welfare programs, or unemployment. All the money that individuals had saved throughout the course of their lives, and deposited in to banks was gone.

“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.

The 1960's was a decade of tremendous social and political upheaval. In the United States, many movements occurred by groups of people seeking to make positive changes in society.