The Great Depression: Causes, Effects, and Hoover's Response
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Presentation Transcript
Chapter 21 The Great Depression 1928-1932
Section 1 Causes of the Depression
1920’s • Prosperity • Consumption increased • Gross national product increased • Stock market increased
Herbert Hoover • Chosen by Republicans as Presidential candidate in 1928 • From Iowa; orphaned as a child • Mining engineer • Head of Food Administration during WWI
Secretary of Commerce for Pres. Harding & Coolidge • Won the election; defeated Alfred E. Smith (Democrat)
Economic Troubles • Farmers: made up ¼ of workforce – had increased farm yields during WWI – bought more land & equipment (huge debts & mortgages) – demand fell after war but production remained high – rural depression
Widening gap between the rich & poor • Overproduction/under-consumption • Installment buying – (buying on credit) small percentage down payment made at purchase with balance paid over a period of months or years
Black Tuesday • Tuesday, October 29, 1929 – stock market crash signaling the beginning of the Great Depression
Great Depression • Period lasting from 1929 to 1941 in which the economy faltered and unemployment soared • 641 commercial banks failed in 1929 • Too little money was in circulation after the stock market crash
Global depression • Germany had been forced to pay war reparations • France & Britain were attempting to rebuild • Business failures, bank collapses & high unemployment
Section 2 Americans Face Hard Times
Effects of Depression • 25% of Americans lost jobs by 1933 • Others saw hours & pay cut • Ate smaller meals: water replaced milk; no meat
Many became homeless developing “Hoovervilles”: makeshift shantytowns of tents & shacks built on public land or vacant lots (So-named for Pres. Herbert Hoover whom they blamed for the Depression) • Many farmers lost their farms & moved
Dust Bowl • Term used for the central & southern Great Plains during the 1930’s when the region suffered from drought & dust storms • Storms killed cattle, birds & fish • Forced many farm families to migrate
Depression Effects (con’t) • Many men deserted their families • Birthrates dropped • Many children quit school • African American poverty in 1932 was near 50%
Section 3 Hoover’s Response Fails
Hoover’s Plan • “Hands-off” – at first • Saw business cycles as natural occurrences • Asked businesses & industries to keep employment, wages & prices at current levels
Called for tax reductions, lower interest rates & public works programs • Wanted wealthier individuals to give more money to charity
Localism • Policy whereby problems could be solved at local & state levels • More jobs & relief measures by state & local governments
Reconstruction Finance Corporation • (1932) – gave $1billion in gov’t loans to railroads & large businesses • Lent money to banks
Trickle-down economics • Economic theory holding that money lent to banks & businesses will trickle down to consumers
Bonus Army • Group of WWI veterans who marched on Washington D.C. in 1932 to demand early payment of a bonus promised by Congress
Chapter 22 The New Deal 1932-1941
Section 1 FDR Offers Relief & Recovery
Election of 1932 • Herbert Hoover vs. Franklin D. Roosevelt • Hoover believed relief should come from state & local gov’ts & private agencies • Roosevelt believed strong action from the federal gov’t was needed
Franklin D. Roosevelt(FDR) • Served in the New York State Senate • Assistant Secretary of the Navy for W. Wilson • Governor of New York • Promised a “New Deal” for all Americans
New Deal • Programs & legislation enacted by FDR during the Great Depression to promote economic recovery & social reform
Brain Trust • Group of professionals & academics who advised FDR in the planning of the New Deal
First Hundred Days • FDR proposed & Congress passed 15 bills as part of the First New Deal to accomplish 3 goals: relief, recovery, & reform • Relief: from the immediate hardships of the depression
Recovery: long-term economic recovery • Reform: to prevent future depressions
Emergency Banking Bill • Gave FDR power to declare a four-day bank “holiday” with the idea that banks would get all accounts in order before reopening.
Fireside chats • Informal radio speeches made to the American people by FDR explaining the measures taken to relieve the depression • Reassured the people that the banks were safe
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation • FDIC – insured bank deposits up to $5000 to reform the national banking industry
Securities & Exchange Commission • SEC – established by Congress to regulate the stock market & make it a safer place for investments
Agricultural Adjustment Act • AAA – sought to end overproduction of farm crops & raise crop prices • Provided financial aid; paid farmers subsidies not to grow certain crops & to kill excess livestock
Tennessee Valley Authority • TVA – built a series of dams in the Tennessee river valley to control flooding & generate electric power • Replanted forests, built fertilizer plants, created jobs & attracted industry
Civilian Conservation Corps • CCC – provided jobs for young men replanting forests, building trails, digging irrigation ditches & fighting fires
National Industrial Recovery Act • Established the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to develop codes of fair competition to govern whole industries • Established minimum wages & prices
Public Works Administration • Built bridges, dams, power plants & government buildings • Improved the nation’s infrastructure & created millions of new jobs
Section 2 The Second New Deal
Works Progress Administration • WPA – created to administer the $5 billion appropriated for new jobs • Built & improved highways, harbors; promoted soil & water conservation • San Antonio River Walk & Appalachian Trail
Social Security Act • Created a pension system for retirees, established unemployment insurance for workers who lost their jobs, & created insurance for victims of work-related accidents
Rural Electrification Administration • Established to loan money to electric utilities to build power lines & bring electricity to isolated, rural areas
Welfare state • A government that assumes responsibility for providing for the welfare of children, the poor, elderly, sick, disabled and unemployed
FDR’s effect on the Presidency • Increased power of the President & the executive branch • Made mass media an essential tool in advertising & promoting policies • Expanded Presidential role in managing the economy
Expanded Presidential role in developing social policy • Won 3rd & 4th terms which led to the 22nd Amendment