The Great Depression: Western Industrialized World

The Great Depression was the longest lasting and deepest economic downturn in the western industrialized world. When the stock market crashed and wall street went up in smoke, millions of investors were wiped out. Not only were investors and affected but also everyone who relied on them to keep their savings safe. People were turned against one another and corporations true colors were revealed. For many, materialism was diminished and the need to survive was the priority. The Great Depression changed the way of life for the western industrialized world. It not only affected the downfall of the economy, but also the mentality of citizens as the quality of living conditions plummeted, a sense of hope was lost, and materialism was found worthless
The quality of living conditions took turn for the worst as many families were sent into poverty stricken areas. A relief was offered to those who were in need but it was a symbol of losing their independence and dignity. Once someone was reliant on the relief it hard to transition out. Even with an allowance a month families live in one room apartments with no water or heat. Ben Isaacs describes his experience when relying on the relief, “I went to the relief and they, after a lot of red tape and investigation, they have me forty-five dollars a month out of that forty-five dollars we had to pay rent, we had to buy food and clothing for the children. So how long can that forty-five dollars go? I was paying thirty dollars on rent. I went and find another cheaper flat, stove heat, for fifteen dollars a month. I’m telling you, today a dog wouldn’t live in that type of place. Such a dirty, filthy, dark place” (Isaacs 425). It was as though the fact that people were living in such extreme poverty was ignored and overlooked. Poverty was something that people didn’t want to touch or acknowledge. If a dog wouldn’t think about living in a place where Isaac lived then why would the wealthy. I think those who were mildly affected by the Great Depression pretended that they didn’t see what was going on around them. It amazes me how to Isaacs went from a prosperous life to
Similarly to football in New England, professional sports in the 1920’s were popular entertainment. When everything else is falling apart in someone’s life, they can take moment to sit back, relax, and enjoy cheering on their home team. In the beginning of the Great Depression, Cycling races were still a popular source of entertainment, but it slowly started to disappear with the crowds leaving people like Carl Stockholm without an income or a way to make a living. “That was it. We always hoped this sport would come back. It never did” (Stockholm 179). When sports entertainment diminished so did the hope of the people. It was the last string tying them to what used to be before The Great Depression. When someone loses something to look forward to in circumstances such as poverty they lose the motivation to do the not so enjoyable things. They lose the will to live. The Great Depression stole the people’s hope and