Chapter 13-The Great Depression

Who were the major critics of the New Deal and what were the major criticisms?

The socialists and communists were the ones who wanted to create a new system for every to have individual freedom

Huey Long

Was elected governor of Louisiana in 1928, where he won a wide following by providing reforms to help the poor during the depression

Mural

a large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface

Trickle-down economies

economic theory that holds that financial benefits given to banks and large businesses will trickle down to smaller businesses and consumers

How did Roosevelt attempt to fix the Great Depression? What were the programs FDR created?

Roosevelt approached the Great Depression with his idea and plans for his policy known as the New Deal. The New Deal required federal government intervention and establishing agencies federally funded to aid the American people. Within the first 100 days, Roosevelt established many agencies and acts, including the FDIC to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA), the TVA, CCC, NRA and Public Works Administration (PWA). Roosevelt also communicated with the nation through his fireside chats, trying to connect with people together of news and as a way or reassurance that the Depression is not a norm and action is being taken. this created a sense of nationalism amongst the United States. Even though Roosevelt had his critics, Roosevelt's presidency started to create a positive impact on the nation away from the Depression

How did the Great Depression spread to other countries?

The Hawley-Smoot Tariff was one of the causes for the depression spreading around the globe. With many European nations with reparations or in debt, the absence of American help put them also in economic disaster. Loans and interactions between the United States and European cultures faltered.

How did the New Deal promote social and economic reform and it's long term effects? What was the New Deal's effect on labor?

The first new deal solves nothing and was very bad, but the second new deal did a lot and increased social security and programs. These programs are still used today.

What was the effect of the New Deal on the federal government?

Theodore Roosevelt passed the second phrase to accomplish his goals. Roosevelt asks for a lot from the federal government trying to get more power

How did the New Deal expand economic opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities?

They were shot down, this group didn't have much, they were the first ones to be cut and last ones to get jobs after the depression

How did radio, the movies, the arts and literature reflect on the Depression era?

This was a way for the people to release any pain they had and all of their concerns during this time period

How did unemployment spread in the cities?

Unemployment rose from the high populations. People would see their wages cut and hours reduced until they were laid off, and with so much competition it was hard to find work. Hunger spread and development of Hoovervilles in cities emerged.

Congress of Industrial Organizations

a labor organization established in 1938 to organize workers by industry rather than by occupation or skill

Herbert Hoover

accomplished public servant who was chosen by Republicans to run for office in 1928. Was elected and six months in, the stock market crashed. Many blamed him for the depression and was defeated in the 1932 election. -stressed importance of competition and growth through volunteerism

Hoover Dam

dam on the Colorado River that was built during the Great Depression under President Hoover. Originally was named Boulder Dam and brought much-needed employment to the southwest during the early 1930s. Construction led by Frank Crowe.

Federal Art Project

division of the Works Progress Administration that hired unemployed artists to create artworks for public buildings and sponsored art-education programs and exhibitions

Tenant farmer

farmer who pays rent to a landowner for the use of the land

Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC)

federal agency set up by Congress in 1932 to provide emergency government credit to banks, railroads, and other large businesses

Frankin (Delano) Roosevelt

former governor of New York who was elected as Democratic president in 1932. Lead the nation through the Great Depression and WWII before dying in office in 1945. Offered improvements to the economy through his New Deal, which involved federal government action.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

government agency created during the New Deal that insures bank deposits, guaranteeing that depositor's money will be safe. At this time it insured bank deposits up to $5,000.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

government agency that built dams in the Tennessee River valley to control flooding and generate electric power. The agency also replanted forests and built fertilizer plants and helped to attract industry. The Tennessee River valley in the rural South was one of the poorest sectors in the nation.

welfare state

government that assumes responsibility for providing for the welfare of the poor, elderly, sick, and unemployed

Bonus Army

group of WWI veterans who marched on Washington D.C. in 1932 to demand early payment of a bonus promised to them by Congress

Hooverville

makeshift shantytowns of tents and shacks built on public land or vacant lots during the Great Depression

sit-down strike

organized labor action in which workers stop working and occupy the workplace until their demands are met

Great Depression

period lasting from 1929 to 1941 in which the U.S. economy faltered and unemployment soared

New Deal Coalition

political force formed by diverse groups who united to support FDR and his New Deal

Repatriation

process by which government officials return persons to their country of origin

collective bargaining

process in which employers negotiate with labor unions about hours, wages, and other working conditions

New Deal

programs and legislation pushed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression to promote economic recovery and social reform. This included the establishment of many government agencies to improve the nation. Split into two parts, the second having a greater lasting impact.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff

protective tax on imports enacted by Congress in 1930 in an effort to counter the nation's slide into the Great Depression -tried to entice $ to stay in the U.S.

Charles Coughlin

served as pastor of a Catholic Church in Michigan from 1926 to 1966. He won a huge audience in the 1930s for his radio broadcasts, first supporting President Roosevelt's New Deal and later opposing it as he adopted ultraconservative views. Coughlin vocally opposed U.S. entrance into World War II and after he began making anti-Semitic remarks, Catholic officials ordered him to stop broadcasting in 1942.

Dust Bowl

term used for the central and southern Great Plains during the 1930s, when the region suffered from drought and dust storms (which were also known as "black blizzards")

John Maynard Keynes

was a British economist best known for his advocacy of government intervention to protest the economy from the negative effects of recessions, depressions, and booms

Frank Capra

was an American motion picture director best known for his work during the 1930s and 1940s, for which he won three Academy Awards.

John Steinbeck

was an American novelist who wrote about Great Depression

Lillian Hellman

was an American playwright and screenwriter known for her dramas that focused on social injustice and exploitation.

Social Security Act

(FDR) 1935, guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

What were the causes in the economy that caused the Great Depression?

-The nations business cycle with contractions lead to drops in the economy. -Farmers' surplus of crops farmed from WWI now was less in demand and, many farmers went into debt with a drop of prices and having to pay off their investments in new farming technologies. -The gap between the rich and the poor was significant, wages were not increasing with the amount of work a person did, making the rich richer and industrial workers less poor. -Uneven distribution of wealth: many families with small annual incomes couldn't afford consumer goods stunting economic growth -Many Americans buying on credit frequently, taking more and more risks of not being able to pay it off -Stock Market crash where so much stock was bought affecting prices that they jumped, making people nervous and selling stock the market couldn't refund leading to billions of lost dollars

Indian New Deal

1930's legislation that gave Indians greater control of their own affairs and provided further funding for schools and hospitals.

Fair Labor Standards Act

1938 act which provided for a minimum wage and restricted shipments of goods produced with child labor

Mary McLeod Bethune

African-American educator who was appointed to the Roosevelt administration

Dorothea Lange

American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration

What were the social and political contributions of Eleanor Roosevelt. Frances Perkins, and other women involved in the New Deal programs?

Eleanor Roosevelt was highly involved in her husbands presidency, she transformed the office position First Lady to a higher and deeper involvement role. She traveled spreading female rights.

How did the Great Depression affect farmers?

Farmers faced surging debts from a surplus of goods produced after WWI that were not in demand and from paying off new farming equipment. Prices of crops fell from the surplus and people not being able to afford food, hurting farmers that their income could not compensate. The Dust Bowl created geographical factors, and many farmers had no choice but to sell their farms.

How did the Great Depression affect family life and the lives of African Americans and Mexican Americans?

For families, many men felt they disowned them through their unemployment, or on the contrary guilty that they had a job while people they knew were suffering. Birthrates plummeted, and families tried to find any work they could, struggling and sticking together. Minorities suffered during the Great Depression often to be the first to be fired from discrimination. African American unemployment rate was around 50%, and Mexican-Americans faced competition with their hobs in the West as Okies migrated to states like California. Repatriation was petitioned against Mexican and Asian Americans.

Douglas MacArthur

General ordered by President Hoover to clear out with federal troops the Bonus Army in Washington D.C. To do so he used tear gas and fixed bayonets. Was also a commander in WWI and again in WWII and the Korean War.

Black Cabinet

Group of African American leaders who served as unofficial advisers to FDR

Why did Roosevelt want to increase the number of Supreme Court Justices? What was it's impact?

He wanted to get 13 but he only got 8, wanted more people for a vote and opinion, he was accused of trying to increase presidential power

How did Hoover attempt to fix the Great Depression? How did the public react to his solutions?

Hoover attempted to fix the Great Depression by a method often practiced at the time: leaving it alone and allowing the economy to fix itself. He stressed volunteerism and localism, both of which failed to create a positive impact. Eventually Hoover switched course with the RFC to help the state of America and believed in trickle-down economies. However, during Hoover's presidency he faced lots of ridicule, the Depression still raging on and the lives of many Americans still in despair. Even though Hoover did not cause the Great Depression, many Americans did blame him.

What were the human and geographical factors that created the Dust Bowl?

Human factors that created the Dust Bowl were from new farming methods, plowing much of the topsoil and removing the natural grasses of the land. The plowing pulverized soil, and without grass made the land susceptible to wind erosion. Population growth also impacted the creation of the Dust Bowl with more people farming the land. The tendency of strong winds through the land was a geographical factor resulting in these large disasters .

Why did the stock market crash and what was the crash's effect on the economy?

Many people were pouring money into stock speculation even if they did not have the credit to do so. Prices of stock rose and fell unevenly. People began to get nervous and went to banks to demand their money back. With people selling in such large numbers the stock market fell and ultimately crashed. Billions of dollars were lost and people who were buying on the margin lost everything they had. The economy plummeted as millions of Americans faced the economic effects from the crash.

Works Progress Administration

New Deal agency that helped create jobs for those that needed them. It created around 9 million jobs working on bridges, roads, and buildings.

National Recovery Administration

New Deal agency that promoted economic recovery by regulating production, prices, and wages (minimum wage), which supported fair competition and companies gaining a profit

Wagner Act

New Deal law that abolished unfair labor practices, recognized the right of employees to organize labor unions, and gave workers the right to collective bargaining

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

New Deal program that provided young men with relief jobs on environmental conservation projects, including reforestation and flood control.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929, when stock prices fell sharply in the Great Crash

Business Cycle

Periodic growth and contraction of the economy -expansion->peak->contraction->trough

Speculation

Practice of making high-risk investments in hopes of obtaining large profits

Court Packing

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to add six new justices to the nine-member Supreme Court after the Court had ruled some New Deal laws to be unconstitutional