How Did The 1920s Lead To The Great Depression
While the 1920s may have been a time of great extravagance and glory, the years following were not. The 1920s were a very materialistic time, and though it is often seen as a great economic boom for the US, by the end of the decade the middle class was disappearing and 40% of people were impoverished. Many people believe Black Tuesday, the stock market crash of 1929, lead to the great depression, but it was actually many different things throughout the 1920s.
Following the end of WWI, America experienced an economic boom. The auto-industry was on the rise during this time. With the invention of the assembly line, cars could be made much quicker and easier. The car was now a luxury almost everyone could afford. The car meant freedom to them. It allowed the creation of gas stations, motels, diners, and later the suburbs. However, not every industry improved, many stayed stagnant or worsened. Agriculture in the 1920s is a very good example of this. For those in rural areas, you could say their depression started 10 years earlier than the rest.
Farmers had been supported during WWI to keep them producing for the war effort, but after the war, their production never went back to normal. Farmers continued to produce more and more, but could no longer find markets. Many farmers lost profits and even their property. Many tried to move to urban …show more content…
Workers would take whatever job they could to feed their families. This is portrayed in the movie Cinderella Man, when James Braddock, an ex-boxer, it seen struggling to get called on to work among many others. In other scenes, you can see the small rations his family eats to get by. During this time, some desperate people turned to looting and stealing. Many called the president at the time, Herbert Hoover, incompetent, as it seemed he just stood by and watched. They named the poorest towns “Hoovervilles,” as a display of their discontent for
Following the end of WWI, America experienced an economic boom. The auto-industry was on the rise during this time. With the invention of the assembly line, cars could be made much quicker and easier. The car was now a luxury almost everyone could afford. The car meant freedom to them. It allowed the creation of gas stations, motels, diners, and later the suburbs. However, not every industry improved, many stayed stagnant or worsened. Agriculture in the 1920s is a very good example of this. For those in rural areas, you could say their depression started 10 years earlier than the rest.
Farmers had been supported during WWI to keep them producing for the war effort, but after the war, their production never went back to normal. Farmers continued to produce more and more, but could no longer find markets. Many farmers lost profits and even their property. Many tried to move to urban …show more content…
Workers would take whatever job they could to feed their families. This is portrayed in the movie Cinderella Man, when James Braddock, an ex-boxer, it seen struggling to get called on to work among many others. In other scenes, you can see the small rations his family eats to get by. During this time, some desperate people turned to looting and stealing. Many called the president at the time, Herbert Hoover, incompetent, as it seemed he just stood by and watched. They named the poorest towns “Hoovervilles,” as a display of their discontent for