The Great Depression is one of Americas worse periods in history. The period officially began on what is commonly referred to as the black Tuesday, 29 October 1929. On this day, stock prices dropped to unimaginable levels plunging the country into panic. For almost 10 years, America had a thriving economy and everyone was optimistic about a better future. However, many people did not know that this was a lull before the storm because on that particular Tuesday the stock market tumbled like a house of cards. In the panic, people rushed to sell their stocks that of course, no one was willing to buy. It then became apparent to everyone that the stock market that was perceived as the best way for one to gain wealth was now the surest way to poverty. (Bernanke 30)
The stock market was not the only one that was affected. The banks that had also invested big amounts of their customers money in the stock market were negatively affected by its collapse. This collapse led to the closure of many big banks plunging many people into misery since the banks closed down with their savings. Customers with money in banks that had not yet shut down rushed to withdraw their money. In turn, these banks could not manage to operate due to the huge amounts of money that the clients were withdrawing leading to more closures.
To deal with the tough economic time, individuals began to cut down on their spending. People only bought the essential goods to save their almost non-existent capital. The reduced spending by consumers caused businesses to reduce the wages of their workers to cope with the reduced profits. Even with these measures, some businesses closed down leaving their employees without a source of income. Already owed heavily, individuals also cut down on borrowing to cut down on debt.
The federal government on its part led by President Roosevelt came up with recovery measures that were called the First New Deal. The measures involved giving relief to those who had lost their jobs due to the recession and to farmers who were badly affected due to prolonged drought in the land. The packages also undertook to reform businesses and financial institutions and to bring them back to profitable ways. Lastly, Roosevelt sought to promote the recovery of the economy that had taken a nosedive during the recession.
To achieve these goals, the federal government increased its control over the economy and regulated the supply of money. The government also controlled the prices of commodities and products in the agricultural sector. Though all these measures were geared toward bringing an end to the depression, this did not happen immediately. Historians relate the end of the great depression to the start of the second-word war. This in essence means that the federal governments measures did not achieve their main purpose. The people on the other hand learned to live within their means and were patient throughout the recession period.
Today, the US is in a recession and the economy is bleak for many Americans. Like in the time of the Great Depression, many Americans have been rendered jobless and the economy is at its lowest peak. Many people have also lost their homes. This is a trend that was characteristic during the great depression. Like the federal government back then, the Obama administration is also putting in measures to fight the effects of the recession.
However, there is a big contrast between how the federal government dealt with the Great Depression and how the current recession is being dealt with. While the banks were allowed to crumble during the depression, the government is not letting that happen today. The government has pumped in billions of dollars to ensure that there is no repeat of what happened during the depression. Instead of letting businesses sink, President Obama has embarked on a program to ensure that no company crumples. To ensure that no one is homeless, Obama signed into law an incentive that gives up to $ 8000 tax credit for first-time house buyers. This is meant to ensure that no one is left homeless for inability to buy a home.
The government has also been giving cash bailouts to big companies that were on the verge of collapse. An example of this was the bailout of the biggest insurance company AIG. The company got $ 150 billion as a bailout package the largest that has ever been given to a single company. This in turn prevented the company from collapsing thus preserving thousands of jobs and securing clients money. This is something that the federal government did not consider doing during the Great Depression. This led to the loss of numerous jobs and customers money after the collapse of such kinds of financial institutions.
The great depression was a period characterized by the loss of jobs and the collapse of businesses. Individuals tried as much as they could to cope with the hard economic times. They did this by cutting down on their spending and failing to borrow cash that could in return increase their debts. The government then came up with packages that sought to lessen the effects of the depression. Like in the Great Depression, America is today going through a time of economic recession. The government has however undertaken fast measures to make sure that people do not suffer as they did during the great depression.
Works cited
Bernanke, Ben. Essays on the great depression, 10-40. Princeton University Press. 2000. Print.
Americas Great Depression took place between 1929 and 1939 and was part of a worldwide economic recession in which the world experienced a reduction in business activity, and subsequent skyrocketing rates of unemployment. Notable about the event is that, it was not the result of some uncontrollable natural disaster but rather a result of misguided economic policies, whose authors only intended good but instead reaped disaster. During the depression, the population experienced intense pain and extensive misery and the event has been blamed for leading to calamities such as World War II and the rising to power of Adolf Hitler (Hall & Ferguson 2).
Main body
According to economists, a stiff monetary policy initiated by the Federal Reserve at the beginning of 1928 led to the initial recession in United States of America. Stock prices were taking an upward trend and Federal Reserve officials intervened with a string of actions designed at tightening credit conditions for member banks (Hall & Ferguson 64). In October 929, the very foundations of a presumably vibrant American society were vigorously shaken when the once strong stock market came crashing down and for nearly 10 years, the once booming industrial expansion that followed the Civil War almost came to a standstill (Jillson 406).
During the 1920s, American farmers had incurred heavy debts through farm mechanization and expanded production, resulting in mountainous surpluses that could not be marketed. As business got lower, marketing of livestock and farm produce got more difficult. A government intervention to buy surpluses from the farmers did not achieve positive results and many land owners lost their properties to unpaid debts. When the depression came, farmers were worst hit and the rural population slowly started dwindling as people moved to the cities in search of a better life. Suffering had changed peoples attitude towards work and they could now do whatever kind of work that would bring daily bread (Kennedy 17, 85).
Over a decade, Americans experienced an era of joblessness that was so harsh that, for some time, the population was exposed to abject poverty; the worst being the immigrants, blacks and Mexican-Americans. By the beginning of 1932, close to 20 per cent of the American labor force had lost their jobs, a situation that got worse in large cities like Detroit and Chicago where joblessness had hit the 50 per cent mark (Kennedy 85-8, 164). Most of the major industries like General Motors were forced to lay off roughly half of their labor force, while those lucky to remain had to be content with shorter working hours and smaller paychecks. America was for the first time experiencing unemployment of such high magnitude (Kennedy 166).
While farm produce rotted in the rural farms, the population in such big cities as New York, Seattle, Chicago and others scavenged for food in garbage cans (Kennedy 165). Americas outlook to life changed as more Americans had to rely on the detested relief food and used clothing. Millions of Americans fell victim to malnutrition and to the common American, such kind of life was degrading. Charities and government institutions could no longer cope with the responsibility of providing relief to the needy. Even the banks that served the immigrants were the first to close down within the first rounds of panic (Kennedy 86-88). As a result of the untold suffering, some immigrants started losing hope in this presumed land of plenty and chose to return to their countries of origin. America was slowly losing its citizens and losing precious labor force as well (Kennedy 164).
Due to un-employment, Americans lost their homes to failed mortgages while others were kicked out of apartments for default of rent, resulting in the creation of shanty settlements especially in the major towns. Families broke as unproductive fathers lost respect as family heads due to joblessness and left home. Children also left to ease the suffering in the homes while women, who previously stayed at home entered the labor force, and took up the role of breadwinners (Kennedy 164-166).
Declining economic outputs resulting from the depression led to a public outcry for help that necessitated government intervention in what has popularly been referred to as the New Deal. Under this New Deal, the government initiated a variety of intervention programs, making the government an important participant in the nations economy. The New Deal has also been attributed to creation of more socialism and free enterprise while putting a check to capitalism. The Federal government got more involved in such areas as social security, welfare, electricity generation and securities regulation among others. This government was now growing bigger in size (Hall & Ferguson 3). There was also a change in the dominant political party as most Americans lost confidence in the government and Republicans lost to the Democrats. New laws came into being that increased the power of government and a welfare state came into being with the creation of welfare associations and unions to look into the unemployment issue. Such associations as Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Public Works Administration (PWA) were formed during this time (Jillson 327, 382).
Conclusion
The depression in America cannot pass off as just another crisis but rather as an episode that served to reveal the extensive structural inequities that existed within the American Society. Most Americans were now more aware that any economic policy was subject to failure and realized the need for government intervention in the management of the economy (Kennedy 168).
Works Cited
Hall, Thomas E, and Ferguson J. David. The Great Depression: An International Disaster of Perverse Economic Policies. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1998.
Jillson, Cal. American Government: Political Change and Institutional Development. London: Routledge, 2007.
Kennedy, David M. Freedom from Fear. The American People in Depression and War 1929 1945. New York: Oxford University Press US, 2001.
During the Great Depression, many families were striving to meet their basic needs, which drove people into different ways of facilitating supplies and upholding their status in society. At this time, most civilians blamed the government for the challenges they were experiencing and considered the banks to be oppressive1. People needed hope and support to survive these challenges. While some people worked to improve their status, Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, Alphonse Capone, John Dellinger, and John Ashley rose as criminals during these times to suit societys expectations, hence promoting their popularity.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
People loved the two for their autonomy in taking care of themselves since they were born in low-income families. Bonnie and Clyde were taken as robin hood figures despite their actions during the time2. The tough economic times drove everyone to seek sustenance to avoid starvation and losing homes, and the preexisting economic challenges caused their efforts. The national and local governments did not offer practical solutions to deal with the challenges citizens were facing. Thus, they opted to take action on their own hands. Their actions were considered to be combating the oppression from banks by undertaking bank robbery. They would send what they got to their families, and their families would support them in situations of trouble.
People viewed Bonnie and Clyde as a revolutionaries. The couple was also famous due to the Americans due to Bonnies gender. It was not common to have a woman tied to a crime spree and involved in a national-wide search in the US. She became a focal point for most by showing that females had power too. People made portraits of her holding a gun and smoking to show she was considered unique. More people followed their stories, making them well-known.
Alphonse Gabriel Capone
Capone was dear to the American people due to his generosity. He was also gregarious, which made people award him public sympathy. People, to an extent, considered him a robin hood figure or a man of decent who would work alongside the people during the times. He consecutively used the press through his soup kitchen to gain sympathy3. However, peoples love for Capone began deteriorating during exposure to brutal violence, tax evasion, and murder to the public.
The Impact of the Great Depression on their Persona
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
In the 1930s most people in America were feeling the impact of the Great Depression due to the crashed economy. The crime was high all over the nation since each family was working to evade starvation or losing their homes. Clyde, born in a family of seven and grown up in poverty, had moved out of Dallas with his family, and they could not afford a tent. On the other hand, the government did not offer practical ways of handling the crashing economy, which made it worth it for their actions to take care of themselves through illegal means. When Bonnie and Clyde had money, they would send it back to their families. The great depression pushed them to seek a means of survival.
Alphonse Capone
During the great depression, most people were facing the challenges of starving and losing their homes. Capone used the impact on people to show his generosity by creating a soup kitchen in Chicago. He was able to feed millions of people in the area, which built his reputation of a caring person. Capone would offer meals and a resting place for the struggling population and even offer jobs to some people. He would also attend public gatherings and encourage people while showing his feelings and sympathy for those facing difficulties. He used the soup kitchen to clean up his name by using his crime money for charity works.
Changes Made to Criminal Justice System due to their Exploits
Bonnie and Clyde had made a mockery of the criminal fighting networks in the US during the Great Depression period. The two had shown the power of outlaws and made the crime networks seem weak. After their ambush, the criminal fighting networks have become more professional and have experienced many transformations, with the agents receiving reinforcements and being allowed to carry weapons with them. Congress has also granted the criminal agents full police powers.
From Alphonse Capone, the law adopted the idea of stop and frisk, which still works today, especially by the police departments. However, the idea of universal suspicion is not favored; instead, frisking is becoming common to ensure that now weapons or lawlessness are embraces. Furthermore, the harsh punishment for Capone might have resulted from the Mexican judge, and today the US is against any racial profiling acts and prevents illegal immigration into the country.
Conclusion
Criminals such as Bonnie, Clyde, and Capone rose during the great depression and gained popularity because of their courses. Bonnie remains revolutionary for women during the times. The couple is seen as heroic since they were against the oppressors, cared for themselves and supported their families. Capone gained public sympathy and love from his charity work since most people were starving and did not have shelter. Bonnie and Clyde led to the full authorization of agents to carry weapons, and Capone led to the reinforcement of frisking laws.
References
Lubis, Fauziah. Legal regulations the role of professional advocates as reporting parties in preventing and eradicating money laundering crimes in Indonesia. International journal of innovative research and advances studies (IJIRAS) 7, no.2 (2020).
Schroeder, Maggie. Bonnie and Clyde: Exaggeration Rooted in Truth. (2019).
Straw, Will. After the event: The challenges of crime photography. In Getting the Picture, pp. 139-144. Routledge, 2020.
Footnotes
Straw, Will. After the event: The challenges of crime photography. In Getting the Picture, pp. 139-144. Routledge, 2020.
Schroeder, Maggie. Bonnie and Clyde: Exaggeration Rooted in Truth. (2019).
Lubis, Fauziah. Legal Regulations The Role Of Professional Advocates As Reporting Parties In Preventing And Eradicating Money Laundering Crimes In Indonesia. International Journal Of Innovative Research And Advances Studies (IJIRAS) 7, no. 2 (2020).
Representation of Workers, Immigrants and African Americans by the New Deal
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932, democrats developed a plan focusing mainly on the minorities such as African Americans, workers, immigrants, and religious minorities. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) were some of the many programs representing minorities in the New Deal. The goal of CCC was to protect the nations natural resources by employing minorities. The African Americans participated in the construction of road and rail tracks in North Carolina. They removed dead tree trunks preventing forest fires, and received 30 dollars from the government (Patel, 2021). They were provided with food, shelter, and education as CCC had a rule prohibiting recruitment based on race or religion, which favored the minorities well.
The WPA focused on the well-being of minorities by ensuring that their psychological, social, and economic problems were solved, giving them peace of mind. An estimated 15% of the WPA workers were immigrants, and others were discriminated against in race (Kelley, 2021). It had federal music and theatre initiatives that supported the talents of musicians and African American actors without any favor. WPA allowed women to perform clerical jobs, canning as well as working as librarians. Through the federal writers project, black history and culture were conserved.
Extend to which the New Deal Ended Great Depression and Restored the Economy
WPA and CCC played a compatible role in ending the Great Depression and restoring the economy. The two programs provided jobs to minorities who could work in various public projects, leading to the recovery of the nations economy. The CCC was created to address the unemployment issues among minorities during the Great Depression period. By conserving natural resources, about two million minorities received 30 dollars (Patel, 2021). WPA provided opportunities to the minority groups that participated in clerical and librarian positions and gardening jobs, which enhanced the peoples purchasing power, leading to economic recovery. The New Deal elevated the financial situation by addressing unemployment by providing assignments that solved social and economic problems. Problems such as declining industrial output and lack of jobs were reduced by half, and millions of immigrants and African Americans got jobs. This shows that the New Deal helped to end the Great Depression and restore the nations economy.
References
Kelley, S. (2021). 8. Democracy and the New Deal Party System. In Democracy and the welfare state (pp. 185-206). Princeton University Press.
Patel, K. K. (2021). The Rise of Comparison and the Rise of the New Deal Order. InDecentering Comparative Analysis in a Globalizing World (pp. 193-212).
The Great Depression in Canada lasted from 1929 to 1939. Like many fledgling industrial nations at that time which included its neighbor the United States and Great Britain, this was a period marked by both financial and social problems. Unemployment attained a high of 27% when the depression was at its hardest in 1933. Families were plunged into massive debt with the wiping out of their assets.
The hardest-hit sectors of the economy were those that employed a big proportion of the population and this included farming, mining and logging. (Paul Alexander, 1996)1The corporate world was also massively scarred with corporate profits that had amounted to $396 million in 1929 being totally erased and instead turned to losses of $86 million by the year 1933. (Berton, 2001, p 252) 2The result was the closure of many businesses due to the continued decline of the prices of commodities which made this business venture unprofitable even though these massively reduced prices were still beyond the reach of an unemployed and broke public. (Berton, 2001, p 252)
Root Causes of the Great Depression
Before the onset of the Great Depression from the years 1919-1929, Canada had the fastest growing economy amongst the developing nations and the only blip to this record was the slight recession they suffered during the 1st World War.
The country was quite prosperous especially in the 1920s where its standards of living showed marked improvement. The country was certainly on the right path towards matching its close cousin the United States economics. An important point worth noting is that the onset of the great depression and the subsequent recession that followed did not start suddenly but it was a slow process that was fueled by the prevailing economic conditions and certain economic policy decisions that were undertaken by the Canadian Government like raising of export tariffs.
Even though the Canadian public was hit hard by the depression, the effects cannot be compared to the events that were unfolding in the United States. Over 9000 banks collapsed in America taking with them the life savings of millions of citizens. In Canada, it is not surprising that there were no reported cases of banks filing for bankruptcy due to their stringent banking regulations which were more conservative than their counterparts. Even though the unemployment rate (in Canada) was still high, those who were still employed could earn real wages; the only catch is the number of hours they could work per week was greatly reduced. (Watkins, 1993, p 101)3
Wheat Crop Failure
It is a well-known notion that the Great Depression was triggered by the Wall Street Market Crash (Watkins, 1993, p 103) but some analysts beg to differ for the case of Canada adding that the failure of the wheat crop harvest of 1928 also played a part. With the subsequent crash of the wheat crop, many citizens were rendered jobless and the supply of money and even food was at critically low levels.
The standards of living took a beating with the minimum income required to support an average family declining from $1200-$1500 to less than $1000 a year. (Lambert, 2006, p 1234) The failure of the wheat crop can be attributed to the drought that afflicted the prairies for several years and the dust storms that followed which made it almost impossible for farmers to grow large quantities to match the market demand.
The bare amount of wheat that survived these harsh conditions could not produce maximum yield due to the lack of rainfall. The farmers were eventually caught up in financial turmoil since the credit they hard borrowed from the banks to purchase seeds and farm machinery could not be paid off due to the poor harvest. Most of them filed for bankruptcy and the few that survived these harsh times had to pay lesser wages or lay off the farm laborers to stay afloat.
Lack of Market
The boom in economic growth from 1919-1929 can be attributed to a flourishing export market that had close ties with its commonwealth counterparts Britain and Australia, and also trade with its close ally the United States. This triggered a rapid and almost uncontrolled expansion of Canadian industries and companies. The demand for their products was there and the over production and over expansion was facilitated by credit lending institutions like banks. (Shlaes, 2008, 371) 5This however changed when Wall Street crashed in 1929. Suddenly, the demand for goods and services disappeared and these companies were faced with a huge debt that they could not serve because of a lack of market for their goods and services. Massive layoffs ensued and the prices of these commodities tumbled. (Shlaes, 2008, 371)
Furthermore, the lack of market for goods resulted in a decrease in demand for natural resources which put the country in a fix since it depended too much on a few primary products (Shlaes, 2008, 371) to define its export market which accounted for 25% of Canadian Gross National Product. (Shlaes, 2008, 371) Most of these products were destined for the United States and when the depression hit the United States, the demand for their products reduced, and Canada was sucked into the ensuing depression. Two key points, therefore, contributed to the economic depression that hit Canada. The over-dependency on the American market for its products was the beginning of their downfall and the miscalculation of Canadian industries and companies of a guaranteed future demand for their products only exacerbated an already precarious economic recession.
Black Tuesday
Falling commodity prices in the United States that can be faulted on oversupply in the market contributed to a massive drop in share prices in the United States which culminated in a full-blown stock market crash on October 1929, a day referred to as Black Tuesday. It is worth noting that we look at the events that preceded Black Tuesday. Like Canada, America had also been enjoying an economic boom that was being driven by a strong manufacturing sector.
This had created a huge and prosperous middle-class population that had borrowed heavily from the very flexible banks and most of this wealth was invested in the stock exchange; which had been enjoying a rally like never before. Trouble started when the banks realized they had lent too much and the number of defaulters was also increasing. Sensing trouble, the banks started recalling their loans and some of them were tied up in the stock exchange. Millions of borrowers cashed in their shares in an attempt to pay off their loans which led to a massive drop in trade volume and share prices. (Bliss et al, 1971) 6
Falling share prices sent the entire economic system into panic mode which led to a reduction in public spending because most people were inclined to save whatever little they had. The lack of demand for commodities led to falling prices which hit the industries and companies hard. With the economic situation looking uncertain, most citizens started withdrawing their savings from the banks and this coupled with a large number of loan defaulters contributed to the collapse of the banking system.
Sensing that people were hoarding cash instead of spending it, the Federal Reserve reduced money supply by one-third, ( HoarCopp, 1969, 45) 7which later proved to be an error since the slight recession that had been triggered by the stock market crash turned into a full-blown depression. Canada had close economic ties with the US and the shockwaves from the collapsing stock market reverberated to Canada. The Canadians had also borrowed too much to buy stocks and when the Black Tuesday crash occurred the defaulters tried everything possible to pay off the borrowed credit. They sold their personal belongings and those who were still short had their processions reprocessed.
Government Intervention
The countrys gross national product had fallen from $6.1 billion in 1929 to $3.5 billion in 1933 and the value of industrial production had reduced by a half. Therefore, a timely intervention was necessary if there was any hope of reversing this trend. The Mackenzie administration that was charge before and during the onset of the depression seemed unable to grasp the veracity of the economic situation. They thought the depression was simply a blip that would pass with time. They denied federal aid to the provinces that were in economic turmoil but instead offered only moderate relief efforts. They were voted out in the 1930 elections and R B Bennets Conservative Party came into power. (Bliss et al, 1971)
Bennet showed a bit more initiative than his predecessor and he instituted make work programs plus welfare and other assistance programs (Horn, 1972, p 128)8 to aid the unemployed population. Unemployed single men worked in camps that had been established in British Columbia. (Horn, 1972, p 128) However, the massive spending created a massive deficit in the federal budget which the administration tried to counter by cutting back on spending. This only exacerbated the situation. Government employees were rendered jobless and the public works projects were cancelled. (Bliss et al, 1971)
Great Britain introduced trade-protectionism which was designed to favor its commonwealth members Australia and Canada that were massively in debt. Both of these countries were given preference when it came to exporting their commodities to the British market. Furthermore, the volume of trade being imported by Britain from Canada doubled from 1929 to 1939 and this helped to jumpstart the Canadian industries that were reeling from the recession. This enabled Canada to start paying off its huge public debt.
The Bennett government tried to institute minimum wage programs through the Industrial Standards Act but the plan massively failed. Their failure led to the ousting of his administration and McKenzie Kings Liberals returned to power in 1935. During his tenure, the worst of the depression was over (Bliss et al, 1971) but McKenzies government established relief programs like the National Housing Act and National Employment Commission. He also established Trans-Canada Airlines which laid the foundation for Air Canada in 1937. (Paul Alexander, 1996) It wasnt until the outbreak of the 2nd World War in 1939 which fuelled an arms race and a subsequent mass production of arms and machinery that pushed the Canadian economy back to the pre-1929 levels.
Works Cited
Berton Pierre, The Great Depression: 1929-1939 , Anchor Canada, 2001, pp 252-279
Bliss Michael Bliss and Grayson L M, The Wretched of Canada: Letters to R.B. Bennett 1930 1935, University of Toronto Press, 1971.
HoarCopp Victor, The Great Depression: Essays and Memoirs from Canada and the United States, Clark Publishing, Toronto 1969, pp 45-48.
Horn Michiel, The Dirty Thirties: Canadians in the Great Depression, Copp, Clark Publishing, Toronto 1972. pp 125-128.
Lambert Ann Barbara, Rusty Nails, and Ration Books: Memories of the Great Depression and WWII 1929-1945, Trafford Publishing, 2006, pp 123-129 (Primary Source)
Paul Alexander Gusmorino III, 13th May 1996, Main Causes of the Great Depression . Web.
PBS: The American Experience Surviving the Dust Bowl . Web.
Shlaes Amity, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, Harper Perennial, 2008, pp 369-375.
Watkins, T.H. The Great Depression: America in the 1930s. Toronto: Little, Brown & Company, Ltd., 1993, pp 101-109.
Wecter, Dixon. A History of American Life: The Age of the Great Depression, 1929-1941, Toronto: Collier-Macmillan Canada Ltd.
Footnotes
Paul Alexander Gusmorino III, 13th May 1996, Main Causes of the Great Depression .
Berton Pierre, The Great Depression: 1929-1939 , Anchor Canada. 2001, pp 252-279.
Watkins, T.H. The Great Depression: America in the 1930s. Toronto: Little, Brown & Company, Ltd., 1993, pp 101-109.
Lambert Ann Barbara, Rusty Nails, and Ration Books: Memories of the Great Depression and WWII 1929-1945, Trafford Publishing, 2006, pp 123-129 (Primary Source).
Shlaes Amity, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, Harper Perennial, 2008, pp 369-375 (primary source).
Bliss Michael Bliss and Grayson L M, The Wretched of Canada: Letters to R.B. Bennett 1930 1935, University of Toronto Press, 1971.
HoarCopp Victor, The Great Depression: Essays and Memoirs from Canada and the United States, Clark Publishing, Toronto 1969, pp 45-48.
Horn Michiel, The Dirty Thirties: Canadians in the Great Depression, Copp, Clark Publishing, Toronto 1972. pp 125-128.
The Great Depression is considered as being one of the worst economic periods in the history of the U.S., much greater than the 2007 financial crisis since it impacted multiple industries and sectors resulting in years of declined economic activity.
Stock Speculation
One of the causes behind the great depression was actually Americas unprecedented level of growth during the 1920s. During this period, America had just emerged victorious from World War I and was experiencing an influx of new domestic technologies in the form of home radio systems, automotive vehicles, and a subsequent boom in economic activity (Irwin 211). In fact, it was thought that this period of growth and prosperity would never end resulting in considerable levels of stock speculation on the part of corporate and small-time investors. Investment speculation is basically the act of investing in a particular form of stock-based on perceived future gains and not on the actual performance indicators of companies (Payne and Uren 358). This means that an investor is betting on the future rise of the stock due to its current rate of growth and not necessarily on current company revenues and operations.
Unrealistic Stock Valuations
The inherent problem with this practice in the 1920s was that speculation increased stock values well beyond realistic valuation. Some stocks were trending at 400 to 500 percent their actual market value which is indicative of the development of a stock price bubble.
Bad Bank Loans
Aside from this, banks were approving loans for stock price speculation based on the perception of continuous growth over the long term. It was believed at the time that even if a person failed to pay back their loan, the seizure of assets to cover the cost of the loan in the form of stocks would have more than paid for the loan in the future. It was due to this that banks continued to approve loans for stocks which further increased the amount of stock price speculation.
Bank Loan Restrictions
When the bubble finally burst banks found themselves with clients that were unable to pay back their loans and stock prices had declined by more than 300 or 400 percent of the value that they were purchased at. This caused the banks to tighten their loan practices due to liquidity shortfalls (Geschwind 598). Since many small to medium scale enterprises in the U.S. relied on short term bank loans in order to operate, this sudden absence of loan sources caused many of them to close down which further contributed to the rising levels of unemployment that the country was experiencing.
Decline in Consumer Spending
Since the health of a countrys economy is directly tied to consumer spending, the sudden spread of unemployment caused many consumers to save their assets rather than spend. This action further contributed to the decline of the U.S. economy and caused a cycle of declining spending, company closure, and unemployment.
External Trade Issues
Aside from the internal issues that were just mentioned, the U.S. also experienced a considerable decline in international demand for its various industrial goods and raw materials. This was due to the implementation of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff in the 1930s that was supposed to protect companies in America from cheaper foreign imports (Peicuti 55). This was done by adding higher taxes for imports in order to encourage people to buy locally made goods instead. The inherent problem with this strategy of protectionism is that it resulted in retaliatory practices by other foreign powers wherein additional tariffs were added on American goods entering into their country.
Companies Being Forced to Operate in the U.S. Domestic Market
Due to the high price of American goods, international demand declined significantly resulting in many companies having to contend with operating mostly in the U.S. domestic market. However, due to low consumer spending, even large corporations found themselves hard-pressed to make significant profits resulting in even more layoffs which contributed to the Great Depression.
Production of Goods
Another reason behind the Great Depression is, oddly enough, connected to local overproduction which caused systemic issues within various sectors of the U.S. economy. One of the factors that keeps a healthy economy running smoothly is the cycle of purchases and sales made by companies not only between themselves and consumers but also between businesses. Various manufacturers purchased raw goods and converted them into viable consumer items and then subsequently sold them in the open market. This creates a supply chain from raw goods all the way to the end product which can take a myriad of different forms.
However, due to industry-wide overproduction in numerous sectors, this healthy cycle was derailed with many companies having considerable levels of excess stock (Hill 169). It was due to this that purchases of raw materials and other contributing goods were often erratic resulting in some sectors experiencing boom and bust periods. With the advent of The Great Depression and the excess amount of stock that companies already possessed, demand for raw goods dropped abruptly, more so than usual, resulting in numerous sectors experiencing industry-wide closures (Ziebarth 185).
Works Cited
Geschwind, Carl-Henry. Gasoline Taxes And The Great Depression: A Comparative History. Journal Of Policy History 26.4 (2014): 595-624. Print.
Hill, Matthew J. Love In The Time Of The Depression: The Effect Of Economic Conditions On Marriage In The Great Depression. Journal Of Economic History 75.1 (2015): 163-189. Print.
Irwin, Douglas A. Who Anticipated The Great Depression? Gustav Cassel Versus Keynes And Hayek On The Interwar Gold Standard. Journal Of Money, Credit & Banking (Wiley-Blackwell) 46.1 (2014): 199-227. Print.
Payne, Jonathan, and Lawrence Uren. Economic Policy And The Great Depression In A Small Open Economy. Journal Of Money, Credit & Banking (Wiley-Blackwell) 46.2/3 (2014): 347-370. Print.
Peicuti, Cristina. The Great Depression And The Great Recession: A Comparative Analysis Of Their Analogies. European Journal Of Comparative Economics 11.1 (2014): 55. Print.
Ziebarth, Nicolas L. The Great Depression Through The Eyes Of The Census .
The 1920s was remembered as a happy and prosperous period for American society, with the rapid development of industry, notable changes in working conditions and wages, and the transition to an urban lifestyle. Specifically, to increase production efficiency, business people broadly began to utilize science achievements and involve a skilled and highly qualified workforce, which provoked a leap in the number of engineers across the country. The switch from coal to electricity as a source of power and the birth of considerably faster conveyor manufacturing were also remarkable events. Additionally, the industry development prompted the large-scale organizations growth, that is, the formation of enormous corporations with millions of workers and merging trends.
To my mind, the shifts in the industry of that period caused revolutionary changes in the lives of workers and the overall society. Conveyor manufacture, the increased significance of science, and the widespread application of machines in production resulted in the amplified demand for qualified and educated employees instead of laborers. The 1920s laid the foundation for evolving from an industrial economy to a post-industrial economy based on the service and sale sectors.
The Great Depression
In contrast to the 1920s, the following period in USA history, called the Great Depression, was marked with painful and sometimes catastrophic tendencies for the whole American nation, without exception. October 29, 1929, called Black Tuesday, when the stock values crashed, is regarded as the forerunner of the Depression. It is worth noting that there was no apparent underlying cause of this phenomenon. The tremendous increase in sales of automobiles, clothing, and processed foods led to a new consumer-oriented economy incited by job growth, a conducive business environment, and generous consumer credits. When the stock market dropped, mass unemployment produced the collapse of purchasing power. A shaky financial and credit systems only exacerbated the highly complicated economic situation. As a result, the US gross national product shortened from $104 billion in 1829 to $74 billion in 1933, and workers combined income fell by over 40 percent.
Personally, I think that the most evident and costly failure of Hoovers policy was the adoption of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, considered to be the most protectionist law in US history in 1930. This measure implied the raised import duties to an unprecedented level, which closed borders to foreign goods and provoked a violent trade war and the American deep agriculture crisis.
Also known as COVID-19, coronavirus has significantly changed the whole world. Political, economic, social, and health care spheres witness essential adverse effects, while both developed and developing nations suffer from the pandemic. This state of affairs demonstrates that it will take much time and effort to recover from this situation. Thus, the given paper is going to suppose what future challenges COVID-19 will offer to the world.
To begin with, one should state that coronavirus is going to lead to a reduction in output that is unparalleled since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In the Western world, numerous developed countries are likely to see their GDP fall. According to Elliot, this economic indicator is expected to fall by more than 4% all over the globe. This forecast denotes that the world will have to deal with a financial crisis once it defeats the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Great Depression and the modern problem are not limited to the economy.
The information above stipulates the coronavirus cannot but influence the manufacturing sector, including the means of production. Various containment measures have resulted in the fact that numerous factories are idle all over the world. A shortage of labor force results in the case that businesses do not manufacture their products as it was a few months before. As a result, it is possible to expect the disruption of supplies of some goods. In addition to that, one should comment on how coronavirus has impacted raw materials. For example, it is impossible to ignore the unprecedented oil price downturn. Consequently, it will be challenging for the economic and manufacturing spheres to overcome the adverse effects of the pandemic.
While the information above has revealed negative consequences, it is possible to suppose that some countries will manage to benefit from the given crisis. Even though it can sound surprising, China is expected to benefit from the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of its mercantilism. It relates to the fact that this country tries to teach other nations how it is more useful to combat coronavirus. This strategy shows that China wants to strengthen its international position by providing assistance to suffering states. Chinese self-interest is found in the fact that the nation does not admit its guilt in spreading the disease throughout the world.
However, there is also another opinion that China will witness some negative consequences. It refers to a belief that world panic is artificially intensified by Anglo-Saxons to get control over China. This situation is similar to the 19th-century opium wars when the British Empire spread opium to defeat China and get access to its ports. Now, coronavirus hysteria can be used by international organizations to make the given country open its industrial zones to foreign actors. However, there is no solid reasoning behind this conspiracy theory.
In conclusion, it is impossible to deny the fact that coronavirus is modifying the modern world, and the worst point is that it is challenging to predict all these changes. On the one hand, it is known for sure that the economic and manufacturing fields will witness essential problems. Thus, it is not a coincidence that COVID-19 is compared to the Great Depression. On the other hand, it is complicated to guess how the current situation will be used by China because there exist two different opinions regarding this issue.
The great depression influenced American romanticism in a great way. Romanticism refers to a movement that used literature, music, and art to communicate messages to the society. Artists reacted to issues that arose in the society by producing paintings and pictures, writing novels and poems, and also producing music that criticized such issues. The great depression defines an economic downturn experienced all over the world just a few years before the break of the Second World War. It began in 1929 and had devastating effects to all countries in the world. It began in the United States when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. From the United States, it spread to other parts of the world and led to unemployment, high levels of poverty, decrease in production, and a decrease in price levels of products (Emerson 32). The great depression influenced romanticism in America in that most of the art and literature that was composed during this period concentrated on the effect of the depression on the social lives of many Americans. Novels and poems were written criticizing the great depression. Artists produced paintings and pictures portraying the great depression as a cause of all the experiences that individuals were going through. Some musical artists also composed music that criticized the social effects of the great depression on the lives of many individuals. This paper will seek to analyze how the great depression influenced romanticism in America. Examples of literal art and other work that was produced criticizing the effects of the great depression on social lives of individuals will be used.
Influence on Literature
The great depression affected the work of literature in America during this period in a great way. Poems, short stories, and novels were written depicting the social effects of the great depression on citizens. In 1939, John Steinbeck Published his work by the title The Grapes of Wrath. The book was written during the great depression and talks of a poor family that is driven out of its home by drought, hardships, and changes in the agricultural industry (Sobchack 7). These changes came into being as a result of the great depression. The family is so hopeless that it is ready to move out of America. With other families, they begin their journey to California where they thought they could get land, jobs, and dignity. When they arrived to their destination, their hopes of accessing some well paying jobs and land are shuttered. There is oversupply of labor and the process of hiring is unethical. In addition, those who are lucky to access the jobs have no rights as employees. Large scale farmers have also colluded at the expense of the small scale farmers. The small scale farmers suffer from the collapsing prices which in effect decreases production (Lone Star College 4). The writer of the novel was influenced by the great depression to write about its effect on the social life of individuals. It talks about unemployment, high levels of poverty, reduced prices of products, and decrease in production.
In addition to novels that were influenced by the great depression, poets were also influenced by the great depression in America where they composed poems criticizing its effects on social lives of many individuals. A poet like Brush Robert composed a poem by the title Depression. The poem talks of a little red bam where the place has been deserted. There are no animals in the farm and everything is out of order. The poem was written to show the way the great depression affected the social lives of people. Many other poems that were composed during this period were influenced by the great depression. Most of the poems talked about unemployment, poverty, low prices of farmers products, and many other negative effects of the great depression (Penrod 29). Generally, the poems that were composed during this period were influenced by the great depression.
Influence on Art
During the 1930s, several artists were influenced by the great depression to produce paintings and pictures that portrayed the effects that it had on social lives of many individuals in America. An example of such regionalist painters is Thomas Hart Benton. He captured the American scene in the 1930s in a very unique manner. In his picture: Art of the West, he criticized the western civilization in the United States. The painting is used as a mockery to the disasters that individuals experienced in the country. The life was very different from the life that the individuals had lived in the 1920s. In the painting, the westerners are shown holding guns and making fools of themselves. Actually, this is the exact picture that an outsider could have seen in them. The westerners are lazy, jobless, and there is nothing good they can do. Just like the novels that talked of people deserting their homes, paintings by Benton had a similar message. His painting: Approaching Storm produced in 1938, portrays how the society had become during the period of the great depression. A piece of land is bare with only two donkeys with nothing to feed on. The farm could have been one of the best places for a person to spend his or her life at one time. The place could have been green with some beautiful animals but what can be seen is a picture of a windy and gray place. The donkeys in the painting appear to be getting away of the piece of land. These are the only living animals that appear in the painting. The exit of the donkey will render the place lifeless. The economy of the United States had dragged and was pulling the world with it. Other photographers like Dorothea Lange produced a picture of a migrant woman her two daughters (Lange 1). The mother is very desperate while the two daughters seem to lean on her, an indication that they expect her to provide them with some food. According to Dorothea, the woman confessed that they had lived on frozen vegetables and some birds that the children had managed to kill. Many artists came out and produced paintings and photographs showing the effect that the great depression had on the social lives of many Americans. Many artists also came up with several pictures that they produced through the influence of the great depression. Most of the paintings and pictures that were produced during the period portrayed the negative effects of the great depression on the social lives of many Americans (Moss 47). The great depression had influenced all the artists in producing their paintings and photographs.
Influence on Music
During the period, some musical artists produced music that showed the state of desperation that individuals experienced as a result of the great depression. An artist like Duke Ellington produced the song: It dont mean a thing. He talks of a situation where an individual has reached his or her end and there is nothing he or she can do. The song: Brother, Can you spare a dime by Harburg was composed in 1932 and talks of a man who had built his hope in the country but a crash had shuttered all his dreams. Everything is wrong in the country. The songs by several artists composed in this period portray the social effects that the great depression had on the society. These artists were reacting to the great depression. This is a clear indication that great depression affected romanticism in America. Other songs were composed to encourage people during the hardships that came with the great depression. In the song: I Aint Got No Home by Woody Guthrie also talks of the severe life that the great depression had to individuals in the society. He has given up and is left with the option accepting all that had happened and wait for rewards in the next world. He was also encouraging people to accept the situations and move on with life. Many songs that were composed during the period of the great depression were influenced by the depression itself. They criticized its effect on the social lives of Americans (Wooden 66).
Conclusion
The great depression influenced the American romanticism in a great way. It is the economic depression that was experienced all over the world just a few years before the break of the Second World War. It influenced literature in that most of the novels and poems that were composed during the period criticized the negative effect of the depression on social lives of many individuals. Many paintings and pictures produced during the period criticized effect of the depression on the social lives of many Americans. In addition to literature and art, music that criticized the social effects of the depression was also produced in the period.
Works Cited
Emerson, Thomas, H. The Great Depression: An International Disaster of Perverse Economic Policies. New York: University of Michigan, 2001.
Lange, Dorothea. Migrant Mother. 1936. Web.
Lone Star College. American Cultural History 1930-1939. 2010. Web.
Moss, Joyce. Literature and its Times: The Great Depression and the New Deal to Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.
Sobchack, Vivian C. The Grapes of Wrath (1940): Thematic Emphasis through Visual Style . American Quarterly, 31.5(1979): 596-615
Penrod, John. 2000. American Literature and the Great Depression. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000. Print.
Wooden, Howard. American Art of the Great Depression. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 1999. Print.
The Great Depression was a time society had taken a big hit, it brought pain, and drought to many working civilians and people all around the United States. The Great Depression was the worst thing that has ever happened to the American Economy and it lasted the longest, from 1929 to 1941. When the Great Depression reached its absolute bottom, approximately fifteen million Americans were jobless and a large portion of the nation’s banks had been declining. The song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg emphasizes the pain and struggle much of the American population had to face during the Great Depression.
The Great Depression caused many drastic changes to society financially and it impacted many Americans. People were losing their jobs and business were starting to decline. In 1932 fourth of the people were jobless and more than fifty percent of the national income had gone down until 1933 (Jeffries). Many banks during the Great Depression went bankrupt and had to close down. A huge reason that this happened was that so many people took out loans. They would take loans and they would put them in the stock market but because the stock market went down drastically, people lost all of their money. “Because so many farmers were in debt, small country banks experienced growing difficulties by the late 1920s as their customers defaulted on loans. Many businesses were in debt too.”(Jeffries). When people would go back to the bank to take the money they put in, the banks didn’t have their money because they loaned it to other customers.
So many people during this time period went days, weeks, months, and even some people years without a job. Since there were so many jobless people, companies took advantage of that and dropped the wages. People would still work for them even though the wages were extremely low because they had no other choice but to work if they wanted to survive. “As unemployment rates climbed, wages dropped .”(Lange). People were desperate for jobs and would wait in long lines hoping that the work needed to be done so they could get paid. Even though people waited in these long lines, it didn’t guarantee that they would be needed and that they would get paid.“…In cities, hundreds would line up for jobs in factories or on the docks, where only a handful of workers were needed .”(Lange). They didn’t have much choice because due to so many companies going down, there weren’t many jobs available. “The average family income of the bottom forty percent was just $725, a subsistence level or worse.”(Jeffries). Many families were having trouble making money and the money that they made wasn’t enough most of the time.
‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ was written by lyric writer Yip Harburg. Yip Harburg was born on April 8, 1896, in New York City in Manhattan’s Lower East Side (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). His birth name was originally Isadore Hochberg but in 1934 he legally changed it to E. Y. Harburg (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). Harburg was the youngest of four children raised by Lewis Hochberg and Mary Ricing, both immigrants from Russia (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). Harburg got married twice, he first married Alice Richmond in 1923 on February twenty-third. Alice and Harburg had one child, Ernie Harburg. Alice and Yip’s marriage only lasted six years, from 1923 to 1929. He got married for the second time but this time to Edelaine Roden, they had no children together (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). “Nearing his eighty-fifth birthday, Harburg was driving alone on Sunset Boulevard in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles when he suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly…”(“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). Harburg died on March fifth, 1981 from a massive heart attack.
The Great Depression was mainly the reason why Yip Harburg started to lyric write. “In 1929, when the stock market crash undermined the economy, he turned to lyric writing, because, as he said, ‘I [had] had my fill of this dreamy abstract thing called business, and I decided to face reality and write lyrics.’(“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”). The stock market crash motivated him to start writing so he could face the reality of the real world. Harburg attended Townsend Harris High School and that is “where he met his lifelong friend and greatest influence, the lyricist Ira Gershwin” (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”).” The famous song ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?,’ was written by Jay Gorney and Yip Harburg to a song to emphasize the struggles the Americans were going through during these hard times.
In the first stanza of the song ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?,’ he thought that he was doing something good and helpful for America. The opening line of the song was ‘They used to tell me I was building a dream,’ (“Brother, Can You”). What he means by this is that the people told them in the beginning that they were making a ‘dream’ for the United States but he later realized that they were just being overused to build stuff so the people could make money off of. The song then continued with “When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job. They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead, Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?” (“Brother, Can You”). What he was trying to say was that when they needed him, he was always there for them but now that he needs them they are nowhere to be found. He feels that after all he’s done he shouldn’t have to be in line waiting for food to be served to him After reading the first stanza you can summarize that he is angry with the people and he feels like he deserves more because when they needed him he was there for them but now that he needs them, they are not there for him.
In the second stanza, Harburg is frustrated that after all the work that he did he wasn’t treated a better way. He explains what he did for them in the second stanza “Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time. Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime? Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, rivet, and lime; Once I built a tower, now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?” (“Brother, Can You”). He is saying that he built railroad tracks for the trains to run on and made it work. He also built a very tall tower and now that he is done, can you please give him some money? “In the past, he says, he has built a railroad and fought bravely in war, but now he is outraged to find that he must beg for a dime.” (Furia). He is upset that he did so much and that they didn’t give him money instead he has to beg them for money.
In the final and closing stanzas, he is referring to his days when he was in the military. In the third stanza, thousands of people were going through a hard time to help build things. “Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell, Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum, Half a million boots went slogging through Hell, And I was the kid with the drum!”(“Brother, Can You”). When he was in the military, they would wear ‘khaki suits’ and look good with a feeling of strong Patriotism. There were thousands of people who were going through a rough time. Towards the end of the song, he became repetitive. “Say, don’t you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time. Why don’t you remember, I’m your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?” (“Brother, Can You”). He uses ‘buddy’ instead of ‘brother’ to refer to a fellow soldier from when he was in the military. He says don’t you remember me, they used to call me ‘Al’ when we were together.
Even though the Great Depression was a very difficult time for millions of people, Harburg made something good out of it. Radio stations banned playing the song because it was a ‘negative’ song. Other singers helped make the song get more publicity even though radio stations refused to play the song. “…a month before the presidential election, reviewers singled out ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ for praise, and recordings by Bing Crosby and other singers made it a hit despite the fact that some radio stations downplayed or even banned the song.”(Furia). Republicans didn’t want the song to be played because they thought it was a bad look for America. “It was considered by Republicans to be anti-capitalist propaganda, and almost dropped from the show; attempts were also made to ban the song from the radio.” (“Harburg, Edgar Yipsel”).
Lyric writer E.Y. “Yip” Harburg wrote the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” “to symbolize the hopelessness and indignity many Americans felt in the face of unemployment and severe economic hardship.”(Noble). Banks started to become in debt because people would take out loans and then stock markets. Thousands of people were jobless and couldn’t provide much for their families. Yip Harburg was born in Manhattan in 1896 and was the youngest of four. He got married twice and had two children. Harburg started to lyric write during the Great Depression, Ira Gershwin was his biggest influence in writing. He wrote the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” in 1931 alongside with Jay Gorney. “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” became a big hit with the help of other songwriters sharing it with their fan base despite some radio stations banning the song from being played. After analyzing the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” we can presume that the Great Depression was the reason that this song was written? The Great Depression was actually a good thing that happened to Harburg because it was the reason he started to write and if it never happened, he probably would not have never impacted so many people the way that he did.
Works Cited
“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime’ – 1932.” Social Welfare History Project, 9 Jan. 2019, socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/great-depression/brother-can-you-spare-a-dime-1932/.
Furia, Philip. ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, edited by Robert S. McElvaine, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, p. 121. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3404500083/GVRL?u=ppjsh_ca&sid=GVRL&xid=9d7d73db. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.
‘Harburg, Edgar Yipsel (“Yip”).’ The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, edited by Kenneth T. Jackson, et al., vol. 1: 1981-1985, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1998, pp. 364-366. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX2874400202/GVRL?u=ppjsh_ca&sid=GVRL&xid=738d8920. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.
Jeffries, John W. “Great Depression.” The Great Depression and World War II, Third Edition, Facts On File, 2017. History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105958&itemid=WE52&articleId=193904. Accessed 12 Mar. 2019.
Lange, Brenda. “The Early Years of the Great Depression.” The Stock Market Crash of 1929, Updated Edition, Chelsea House, 2017. History, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105958&itemid=WE52&articleId=358450. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.
Noble, Natoma N. ‘Music.’ Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, edited by Robert S.
McElvaine, vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, pp. 660-665. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3404500375/GVRL?u=ppjsh_ca&sid=GVRL&xid=9b6585eb. Accessed 14 Mar. 2019.