What was life like

in the 1930’s?

THE GREAT DEPRESSION

WHAT WAS THE GREAT

DEPRESSION?

• The Great Depression was a time

between 1929 through the 1930’s when

the entire world suffered from a poor

economy. (This means that people were

having a hard time finding jobs, making

money, and paying for the things they

needed.)

What was the Great Depression? The worst economic crisis of the century

Over 13 million people unemployed

“Dust bowl” as a result of drought

Farmers lost crops

Many lost their homes

5

This is a picture of the Dust

Bowl!

What caused the Great Depression?

People spent more money than they had

during the Roaring 20s

The new concept of “credit” - Spend

NOW, pay off later…Does not work!

Why was this bad?

• Credit system

– People didn’t really have

the money they were

spending

• WWI

– The U.S. was a major

credit loaner to other

nations in need

– Many of these nations

could not pay us back

Unequal Distribution of Wealth

No middle class

Supply not equal to demand

Credit cards created false demand

Stock Market Crash

Many stocks purchased

Stock prices fell

Huge sums of money lost

Thursday, October 24, 1929

The Results Bank Failure

Unemployment

Loss of homes

“Hoovervilles”

Here were all these people living in old rusted-out car bodies. ... One family ... [was]living in a piano box. This wasn't just a little section, this was maybe 10 miles wide and 10 miles long. People living in whatever theycould junk together. ..."

Dustbowls

A traveler noticed a nice new hat by the side of the road, and he stopped to pick it up.

Under the hat was a man, buried up to his neck in the dust! As he dug the poor fellow out,

the traveler asked if he wanted a ride into town. "No, I'll get there myself,"

the man replied, "I'm on a horse."

(Excerpt from THE DUST BOWL by Tricia Andryszewski, p. 33.)

Depression

15

STOP TAKING NOTES HERE

PLEASE!

Did everyone suffer during the

depression?

“The only thing we have to fear

is fear itself”

“Our greatest primary task is to put people to work”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

FDR’s New Deal Relief for the needy

Jobs provided

Business and government reformed

So What?

A Long Way From Chicago

By Richard Peck