Great Depression Review by Maryann Cox

THIS PRESENTATION WILL COVER:

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:41:00 UTC

1. Political and Economic Causes of the GD in the US
2. FDR and the New Deal
3. Canada and the GD
4. Latin America and the GD
5. Impact of GD on African Americans and Women
6. The GD’s effect on the arts in the US

ECONOMIC CAUSES

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:43:47 UTC

-rapid economic growth
-buying on credit
-stock market speculation
-overestimation of stocks 
-Income disparity 
-Construction declined by 20% 
-Market for U.S. products in Europe declined 
-Unstable underlying economic foundation

FDR & THE NEW DEAL

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:43:59 UTC

-Public persona was as important as his programs; Fireside chats
-New coalition lasted until the 1960s
-WWII pulled U.S. out of Great Depression

CANADA AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:44:10 UTC

-Conscription issue of 1917 fragmented Canada
-English vs. French speaking
-William Lyon Mackenzie King leads in the ‘20s
-‘20s saw a remarkable surge in non-traditional
parties
-National Progressive Party- Manitoba and prairie
independence
-United Farmers of Ontario
-Split between moderate and radical progressives
Regional discontent in the Maritime provinces

•Latin America and the GD

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:44:19 UTC

IMPACT ON WOMEN

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:44:29 UTC

-worsening of circumstances and additional responsibility due to men going on the road to find work
-Most remained in traditional roles
-Married women working increased by 50%- reason was economic
necessity; need for subsistence; maintain some type of lifestyle
-survivalist entrepreneurship- black women were boarding houses and beauty parlors
-African American women were limited due to lack of capital investment
-New Deal gave women more opportunity with Fed Govt. jobs
-Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with increasing place for women in government

EFFECT ON THE ARTS IN THE US

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:44:45 UTC

POLITICAL CAUSES

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 13:48:30 UTC

-Hoover (Republican) believed in minimum government involvement in
business
-FED Monetary policy was to decrease the money supply; mistaking
deflation for inflation
-Fiscal Policy was protectionist
-Reconstruction Finance Corporation allowed questionable loans

GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE ARTS

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 14:16:51 UTC

-Eleanor Roosevelt promoted both civil rights and the arts
-Federal Gov. created jobs through public works and commissioning murals for buildings
-Zimmerman Library on UNM
-Treasury Relief Art Program
-FEDERAL PROJECT NUMBER ONE- 1935 Includes theater, music, writing, local culture
-Operated until 1939
-Visual arts contributed more than 20K works of art; Rothko
-Farm Services Administration was source of iconic images of Great Depression

ZIMMERMAN LIBRARY AT UNM

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-04 14:21:27 UTC

IMPACT ON MINORITIES

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-05 13:56:54 UTC

-AFRICAN AMERICANS- 1920s was stagnation in
improvements
-In Great Depression, 75% unemployed vs. 25% overall
-Black Cabinet advised FDR on African American issues
-The GREAT MIGRATION moved African Americans to the North
-Little job availability in North as well
-Bright spot was Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
-HISPANIC AMERICANS- lowest paying jobs
-Latin American children not allowed to enroll in schools/ hospitals
-Mass move to urban areas

FIRST NEW DEAL

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-05 13:59:17 UTC

-EMERGENCY BANKING ACT- FED additional powers; off the gold standard
-ECONOMY ACT- balancing budget
-AGRICUTURAL ADJUSTMENT AGENCY (AAA)- raise farm prices; subsidies
-GLASS-STEAGALL BANKING ACT- prevents banks from underwriting securities and established the FDIC
-NATIONAL RECOVERY ACT OF 1933- established minimum wage, wage hours, prevented child labor; industrial production rose 22%
-FEDERAL EMERGENCY RELIEF AGENCY (FERA)- loans to states for jobs; established the Civil Works Administration (CWA); declared unconstitutional by SCOTUS in 1935

OPPOSITION TO NEW DEAL

maryanncox28 — 2018-04-05 15:23:05 UTC

-Conservatives opposed New Deal initiatives
-Townsend, Coughlin, and Long led the political animosity
-Townsend-Old Age Revolving Pension Plan- elderly retire to move
jobs to younger people; receive $200/mo.- bill defeated
-Father Coughlin- universal economic rights and responsibility of people within community; proposals to nationalize banking system and revise monetary system; criticized U.S. foreign policy
-Huey Long- Share Our Wealth Plan- redistribute wealth
-Significant opposition to New Deal from both left and right