{ Politics in the Great Depression By Joey Terranova, Max Turgeon, and Ben Weyman .

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Politics in the Great Depression

By Joey Terranova, Max Turgeon, and Ben Weyman

http://all-that-is-interesting.com

There were two political groups that fought on how to solve the great depression. These two groups continue to debate today. Conservatives – believe in small government and

small tax; this means less involvement in the economy (tend to be more business friendly)

Liberals – believe in larger government and more government programs; this means more involvement in the economy

Conservatives and Liberals

Prostitution Particularly in the 1930 to 1933 period, prostitution

was a topic of widespread comment and concern. Critics drew a direct connection between increasing unemployment and rising rates of vice and crime

claimed that women were becoming prostitutes because more legitimate jobs were unavailable

A sociologist at Brooklyn College noted that African-American women were at greater risk than white women for becoming prostitutes

Less opportunities for African American women last resort for many women in USA one of biggest problems1930 to 1933 period Unemployment caused this

Major Issues in the 1930s

Films were made in 1930s that perceived prostitutes as wealthy and powerful

influenced depression welfare in women New Deal had rules against prostitution Most popular underground "moneymaker" of the

30's Unemployment became a problem particularly

during the post–World War I recession of 1920–1921 and again after the stock market crash of 1929, that its causes and cures became a subject of public concern.

Major Issues in the 1930s

Crash of 1929 Crash of October 1929 triggered a chain reaction

of bank and business failures that created a larger and more widespread unemployment crisis than had ever been experienced by Americans

Millions were left jobless African Americans were disproportionally affected

by job losses, black activists started boycotts saying "don't buy where you can't work

Major Issues in the 1930s

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Many of government unemployment policies favored men as primary breadwinner

very hard for women to get jobs over men some states started unemployment relief

programs These programs went on to be cornerstones for

the New Deal Depression and crash changed Hoovers belief in

approach to unemployment

Major Issues in the 1930s

Herbert Hoover Herbert Hoover was president during start of the

depression Member of the Republican Party, he was very

conservative Had been a multimillionaire businessman and a

successful public official before he became president

Entered the White House at a time of great prosperity in the United States. Americans expected him to lead them on to even better days

Leaders of the Great Depression

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Seven months after he took office, the stock market crashed Hoover was reluctant to interfere with the American

economy He called the depression "a temporary halt in the prosperity

of a great people He depended on companies and industries to solve their

own problems Hoover had believed that the states and local communities

should provide relief for jobless workers The Unemployed needed much more assistance During Hoover's last four months in office, bank failures

and unemployment increased. Congress paid little attention to his recommendations, and President-elect Roosevelt refused to promise support for Hoover's policies stabilization efforts

Leaders of the Great Depression

Franklin D. Roosevelt Assumed the presidency during one of the most

challenging periods in the country's history Was a liberal democrat Great Depression was in full swing and the nation

was in crisis. Thirteen million people were unemployed and banks were failing

He began a series of reform programs called the New Deal, setting up agencies to employ young men, assist business and labor, and subsidize home and farm mortgages, as well as help the unemployed

Leaders of the Great Depression

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Criticized for involving the government in areas of society and the economy where it had never been involved before, but many of his ideas helped the nation get through the Depression

He condemned the concentration of ownership in business

He insisted that government must develop "an economic declaration of rights, an economic constitutional order

He attacked the Depression cautiously, however, employing measures approved by conservatives

He strengthened government control over the banking system and initiated agricultural price supports

Leaders of the Great Depression

The recovery that began in 1933, although not without setbacks, was vigorous and prolonged.

By the middle of 1937 industrial production was close to the 1929 average.

Still, there was considerable concern about the pace of recovery and the level of the economy.

After all, with normal economic growth the levels of industrial production and real output would have been above their 1929 levels in 1937.

Unemployment, moreover, remained stubbornly high. With a few more years of continued growth the economy

might well have recovered fully. However, another recession, the “recession within the

depression,” hit the economy in 1937.

Recovery

By the trough in 1938 industrial production had fallen almost 60 percent and unemployment had risen once more.

The new Social Security system financed by a tax on wages was instituted in 1935, and the taxes were now put in place.

The Federal Reserve chose at this time to double the required reserve ratios of the banks.

The economic expansion that began in the summer of 1938, however, would last throughout the war and pull the economy completely out of the depression.

Indeed, even before the United States entered the war as an active participant at the end of 1941, fiscal and monetary stimuli had done much to cure the depression.

Recovery

The New Deal was not able to solve the burning issues of justice and equality for poor people and people of color

Americans who had little to begin with were among the hardest hit by the Great Depression.

People of color faced even greater hardships as they contended with the added burdens of racism and segregation

African Americans were often the “last hired and first fired”;

Unemployment in African-American communities was extremely high, and many families existed on the brink of starvation, especially in the urban South

Race and Racism

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Roughly 65 percent of people of color worked in sectors such as tenant farming, migrant farm work, and domestic work. These types of jobs were not covered by most New Deal programs, meaning that these workers were not even eligible for most forms of assistance.

By the early 1930s, close to half of all African-American workers were no longer employed, and the establishment of equal job opportunities had become a crucial issue for the black community

National Recovery Administration (NRA), established in 1933, sought to establish fair rules and codes with regard to wages, prices, and competition in the labor market

White employers tried to find ways around the NRA policy by changing job descriptions so that jobs were not covered by these rules, and many employers simply refused to hire blacks

Overall, other New Deal programs also accepted the status quo and allowed existing discriminatory practices to continue

Race and Racism