What were the Effects of the Great Depression in America?

James Levine What were the Effects of the Great Depression in America? The great depression affected two main groups: the urban and the rural Americans. The urban Americans weren't really affected much by the Great Depression. If any were, they would have been affected by the Wall Street Crash but many rich people converted and held their wealth with assets such as gold or properties. A visitor from out of town even said 'you couldn't feel a difference and life was just about the same as pre depression days'. Another quote basically says that everyone was in despair from the Wall Street Crash unless they were either very, very poor and had nothing to lose or were very rich and had a hidden line of wealth. The Americans in the countryside were greatly hit by the Great Depression, especially the farmers who, didn't make enough money due to prices being lowered so dramatically. They felt there was no point harvesting crops, as the care of the crops cost more than the what the profit would be and so they decided not to sell but with no money to buy basic goods, such as food, they went hungry very quickly. In a desperate struggle to quick cash to live on, many people either sold farms out of their own will or had to give farms to banks for money owed. Many people looked towards the possibility of migration to other states such as California which was seen to be the equivalent

  • Word count: 392
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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To what extent can Prohibition be seen as a failure?

America during the 1920's - Prohibition To what extent can Prohibition be seen as a failure? Prohibition was the power to ban (prohibit) the production, export, import, transportation or sale of intoxicating beverages, the definition of such a drink being one that contained at least 0.5 per cent of alcohol. These kinds of drinks are and were generally associated with celebration, enjoyment and relaxation, so why would anybody want to forbid them? The "roaring twenties" in America were a wild, scandalous, and exciting time. To outsiders it was a fantasyland, and to most insiders it was a prosperous period of fun and pleasure. Jazz, film, cars and saloons, it was an image of success and wealth. However, not everyone shared the enjoyment for this rebellious spirit. Much criticism and disgust were expressed from groups like the Anti-Saloon League, the W.A.S.Ps, or the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. They were appalled by the misery, poverty, depravity, violence and general lack of morality found in their cities, the culprit, in their opinion, being alcohol. There were more than 100,000 saloons in the country, many of them permitting gambling, prostitution, sale to minors, public drunkenness and violence. The only way to protect society from this threat was to abolish the "drunkard-making business". The crusade to ban alcohol was backed by aims and beliefs that it would end

  • Word count: 1137
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Promise and Performance, FDR and the New Deal in the USA, 1933-45.

Timed History Essay Louise Todd 12N (Mr Beamish) Promise and Performance, FDR and the New Deal in the USA, 1933-45 A) What does source 1 reveal about Roosevelt's views on the role of government? It is my personal opinion that President Roosevelt believed that the government of America needed to get more involved with the affairs of the state. At the beginning of his speech Roosevelt states that 'A small group' of people had taken almost complete control over 'other people's' property, money, labour, and even 'other people's' lives. The 'small group' that Roosevelt refers too are Capitalists; people such as Henry Ford who in previous years had managed to gain so much wealth that they now had great economic status and control over others. By saying that the power had been concentrated into 'their own hands' Roosevelt is suggesting that power had only been invested into a small group of people, the wealthy business owners and employers. The 'other people' Roosevelt describes in his speech are ordinary American citizens, and Roosevelt believed that the capitalists should not overpower them, and there should be more equal opportunity. Roosevelt also says that the public should have a right to appeal against the government, and at the end of his speech he says that 'this generation of Americans has rendezvous with destiny' This is a significant quote because it shows that

  • Word count: 1600
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Explain the main features of The New Deal.

(a) Explain the main features of The New Deal. THE NEW Deal was drafted in as a new era for the USA in 1933, it was further developed through the 30's into what became a significant movement in US history. The brand new President at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, introduced The New Deal to the USA with mixed reactions. The New Deal and FDR's first 100 days as President Elect introduced The New Deal with a firm set of policies and ideas. "Relief, recovery and reform" was one of the main principles of The New Deal. It was to relieve the unemployed and the homeless after The Great Depression [1929's "Wall Street Crash"], and the second New Deal [1934-1940] was focused upon reforming and rejuvenating the USA preventing further mishaps. The idea of government involvement was one played up by The New Deal; Democrats in power brought new shape and ideas to how things ran. This was the main reason behind The New Deal, to relieve the country, then to recover it and bring it into reformation, The New Deal was a revolution in American History. One famous saying: "Action and action now" echoed through the supposed intentions of The New Deal, it was a revolution. Roosevelt's plans and ideas were colossal in number; his main priority was to "put banks in a secure footing". He had to renew his faith in the Capitalist banking system; he had to encourage people to invest in the industry.

  • Word count: 1928
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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The American

Essay on the American "Boom" I agree to a certain extent that without the new automobile industry the prosperity of the 1920's would not have been possible. To find out if it could or couldn't you have to look at many factors that occurred at the time. The boom was also based on other factors such as the Republican policies. Between 1920 and 1932 all the US presidents were Republican, they dominated Congress and so helped the boom occur through their beliefs. They gained and kept money in American though a number of policies. The Laissez-faire view that the president should interfere as little as possible and leave the businessman to himself. This helped the "boom" as it meant that any illegal business that was going on could occur and more money from trade, for example, could come into the country. Another policy that kept money in the country and allowed America to boom were the import Tariffs. These made it very expensive for foreign goods to be imported into the country because of large taxes on them, and so not much money was going abroad. They also protected the businessman from foreign competition and so allowed business to grow even more. Low taxes also promoted the boom by leaving people with more money to spend and so encouraging them to buy more American goods. It also encouraged wealthy people to reinvest back into American industry. Although all these factors

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Why was president Franklin Roosevelt voted into power in the presidential election of 1932?

Why was president Franklin Roosevelt voted into power in the presidential election of 1932? In 1932 America was suffering from a terrible economic depression. President Hoover did not believe in government intervening in industry or business and little was done to help the unemployed and the increasing numbers of poor people. In the1932 election for president, Hoover lost to Franklin Roosevelt, the demorcratic candidate. During the election campaign Roosevelt had promised the American people a "new deal". Roosevelt's government created jobs thought public works schemes the poor were given help. Never before had the government played such an important part in the economy. One of the main reasons why Roosevelt was brought into power was because president Hoover was a main course of why the depression continued. He believed in a policy called "Laissez Faire" which meant things would sort themselves out. However this was not the case. In the 1932 election president Hoover paid the price for being unable to solve the problems of the depression. Until 1932 he refused to accept that there was a major problem. He insisted, "Prosperity is just around the corner". A famous banner carried in a demonstration of Iowa farmers said: "in Hoover we trusted now we are busted". Hoover was regarded as the do nothing president despite several attempts to bring American economy back on track,

  • Word count: 641
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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How Roosevelt Won the Election Roosevelt Was Voted In For His First Term In Office In 1932?

How Roosevelt won the Election Roosevelt was voted in for his first term in office in 1932. Roosevelt displayed smiling confidence throughout the campaign. He campaigned throughout the country, outlining in general terms his program for recovery and reform he intended to make, this became known as the new deal. Roosevelt received 22,822,00 votes compared to Hoover's 15,762,000, the electoral vote was 472 to 59. Roosevelt took office on 4th March 1933. I am first going to look at the factors of Roosevelt's election victory that he was directly responsible for. Roosevelt's personality appealed to a wide range of people from many different walks of life. His most appealing personality trait was that he always looked for the best in people and wanted to get the best for them. He was also not arrogant and had empathy for the suffering of the poor in the depression. This empathy may have stemmed from his illness. This gave him a physical problem, whereas the public had an economic problem, but the despair was he same. This made people feel closer to him and would have helped him gain votes. Roosevelt also understood the problems and hardships of people in both rural and industrial areas as he had experiences of both from earlier in his life. Because of this knowledge he aimed his policies at both types of life style. This is something that other politicians did not do, this

  • Word count: 1559
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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USA 1919 - 1941 Coursework, Question No.1, Why has America of the 1920s been described as the 'Roaring Twenties?'

USA 1919 - 1941 Coursework, Question No.1, Why has America of the 1920s been described as the 'Roaring Twenties?' This essay will investigate why America in the 1920s has been described as the 'Roaring Twenties.' It will also look into the fact that America, despite its reputation as the 'land of opportunity for all,' was also described as a land of Intolerance. The reason why America stands out in the 1920s as being the 'Roaring Twenties' is partly due to what came before and after it. Before the 1920s was the First World War. During the war America had been gaining profit from global sales of supplies to the countries in the war which would fuel the 1920s. In 1929 there was the 'Great Depression' which devastated America. There had been a crash in the Wall Street stock market due to a global panic when the 1920s had rapidly slowed down its economic progress. This was because there was nothing more which it could greatly progress in to keep the time 'Roaring' as it had done during the 1920s. Therefore as the 1920s was a huge success in between these two times it stood out as the 'Roaring Twenties.' Compared to the 1910s, the 1920s was a modernising time for America. The USA had advertised to the world after the war. This advertising reinforced the view that America was the 'land of opportunity' where all could prosper from nothing if they worked hard enough. America had

  • Word count: 1052
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Q7. Study the following interpretations of the effects of the New Deal.h

Q7. Study the following interpretations of the effects of the New Deal. . The New Deal helped many Americans and by doing this it gave them self respect. It gave them confidence to lift the United States out of Depression. 2. The New Deal wasted a lot of money. It made people dependent on the government and led to the government becoming too powerful. It did not solve America's problems - the Second World War did that. Which interpretation is best supported by the evidence in the sources and your own knowledge of American history? Explain your answer. A7. Most historians disagree about the effective ness of the New Deal. Some say that it hardly did anything. Others maintain that without it, millions would have starved to death. Looking at some of the sources, we shall see who to side with. The first interpretation of the New Deal is one with which many will part with. Even though almost everyone was hit by the Depression, the New Deal was designed to help only the ones that really needed it. It did not help the rich as much as it helped the poor and the needy. Source A, which is an excerpt from a speech Roosevelt made during the 1932 elections, tells us that even before he took the office, Roosevelt had plans to bring in a lot of changes in the way America was being run, especially how the Depression was being handled. Ironically this was also the speech where the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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Life did get better for many Americans in 1930s. How far was Roosevelt responsible for this, or was it due to other factors?

. Life did get better for many Americans in 1930s. How far was Roosevelt responsible for this, or was it due to other factors? Initially many Americans in 1930s had a better living condition. President Roosevelt's winning election is one of the key factors that lead to people's better life condition. But it is primarily that the idea of Roosevelt's "NEW DEAL" which aimed for relief, recovery and to reform. First to relief the extreme scarcity, feed the ravenous and to stop people from losing their homes. Secondly, to revive the U.S economy by creating more jobs. Thirdly, to make USA a much better place for people bringing in procedures such as unemployment insurance and to assist the sick and people who are disabled. Roosevelt also used the radio and broadcasted what he would be going to do many Americans. So this made Roosevelt to gain trust of many Americans in order to make them grow their confidence with Roosevelt. Franklin D Roosevelt also claimed to rescue the banking system in order to prevent it to corrupt. In addition, he prepared a large sum of government money to relief the disadvantaged. He actually showed his spirit in this New Deal by organization many associations for the needy; this association was commonly called the 'alphabet agencies'. These associations include Farm Credit Administration (FCA) which made loans to farmers to prevent them to lose

  • Word count: 547
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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