The Great Depression in American History

The Great Depression - Page 2

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From 1933-1936, Roosevelt implement several new programs such as the National Recovery Administration (NRA), which sought to stimulate demand and provide work and relief for the poor through increased government spending. Other relief and recovery measures included the Civil Works Adminisration (CWA) and the Public Works Administration (PWA), along with the use of previous agencies such as the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, to regulate and stimulate the economy. In 1935, more programs were added including the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and a national relief agency through the National Labor Relations Board, which provided a strong stimulus to the growth of labor unions.

During Roosevelt’s first term, unemployment fell by two-thirds and sustained improvement for five years, when the Recession of 1937 brought back 1934 levels temporarily.

A one time farmer, this Ohio man survives through the programs

of the New Deal. Photo by Ben Shahn, 1938.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

Finally, by May, 1938 retail sales began to increase, employment improved, and industrial production was on the rise. After the recovery from the Recession of 1937, conservative politicians were able to stop further expansion of the New Deal, abolishing many of the programs.

The Great Depression ended at different times in different countries with the United States finally ending in 1941 with America's entry into World War II.

During the peak years of the Depression, some 13 million people were unemployed in the United States, industrial production had fallen nearly 45%, homebuilding by 80%, 5,000 banks had failed, the stock market had lost almost 90% of its value, and over a million families had lost their farms.

During these turbulent times, individuals were affected not only financially, but also psychologically as unemployment caused self-blame and self-doubt. Men were harder hit than women, as they were expected to provide for their families and it was humiliating for them to ask for help. Ironically, while millions of men were out of work, the percentage of women working during the Depression increased, especially under the New Deal programs. And due to extremely low wages, children could sometimes find work when their parents could not. African Americans and other minorities suffered more than whites, as their jobs were often taken away and given to white people. In 1930, 50% percent of African-Americans were unemployed.

Roosevelt's New Deal The Great Depression and the New Deal changed the relationship between Americans and their government, with the people now expecting government involvement and responsibility in caring for the needy and regulating the economy.

It also created a liberal political alliance of labor unions, an acceptance of women working, African-American rights, and unfortunately, a new generation of outlaws and gangsters who profited during a time that others were starving.

These, including such infamous people as Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, and dozens of others, operated in what is sometimes referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1935. It also spawned in much of the American public strong habits of careful saving and frugality.

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Great Depression has been the subject of much literature over the years, as writers sought to evaluate an era that caused so much emotional and financial trauma. The most noteworthy novel of the time was The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, published in 1939. Awarded both the Nobel Prize for literature and the Pulitzer Prize, the novel focuses on a poor family of sharecroppers who travel from Oklahoma to California, during the Dustbowl Days of the 1930s, trying to find a better existence for themselves.

Also See:

Prohibition & Depression Gangsters & Outlaws

Dust Bowl Days or the "Dirty Thirties"

Thousands of Depression era refugees headed to California in search of a better life, photo by Dorthea Lange, 1936.

This image available for photographic prints and downloads HERE!

Numerous unemployed people sit on a New York City trying to sell their possessions, 1933, Samuel H. Gottscho.

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