Crisis And Class Struggle In The 1930s And Today

The Great Depression was a worldwide economic disaster that sparked the “Black Tuesday” stock market crash on October 29th, 1920. With the first waves of the crash along with the low point in the Depression, there was a short-lived spark in the economy, but was immediately followed by steeper falls in the stock market. According to “In Defense of Marxism, USA: Crisis and Class Struggle in the 1930s and Today” article, the author points out that “From the cyclical high of 381.17 points on September 3, 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to 198.60 on November 13 that same year. It then recovered substantially, and by April 17, 1930 was up to 294.07. But this secondary closing peak was not to last – it has thus been aptly named a “dead
1929), the consumer spending dipped (Sept. 1929), “Black Thursday” occurred (Oct. 24th, 1929), along with the banking giant JP Morgan trying to rescue the economy and lastly the Black Tuesday which happened on October 29th, 1929. Furthermore, there was underlying structural weaknesses, bank failures, capital shortages, layoffs and unemployment and consumption decline which occurred throughout the United States in the early part of the depression. The United States confronts failure, but with the economic depression along with a psychological effect, the American public had a sense of bewilderment, self-blame, self-freedom and somehow the depression had a bewilderment effect on mass society throughout the United States because if you failed in America, then what could you do. Lastly, the United States became a no welfare state, no unemployment comp/welfare society, no social security benefits and no medical care audience. This paper will explore the films Wild Boys of the Road, Modern Times, Black Legion, and Stella Dallas to emphasize and demonstrate the historical society in which they were
I’ll tell you why we can’t go home – because our folks are poor. They can’t get jobs and there isn’t enough to eat. What good will it do you to send us home to starve? You say you’ve got to send us to jail to keep us off the streets. Well, that’s a lie. Your sending us to jail because you don’t want to see us. You want to forget us. But you can’t do it because I’m not the only one. There’s thousands just like me, and there’s more hitting the road every day.” Tommy furthermore explains to the judge that “You read in the papers about giving people help. The banks get it. The soldiers get it. The breweries get it. And they’re always yelling about giving it to the farmers. What about us? We’re kids!” Finally, in another scene, Eddie states to the judge “Go ahead! Put me in a cell. Lock me up! I’m sick of being hungry and cold. Sick of freight trains. Jail can’t be any worse than the street. So give it to me!”
Wild Boys of the Road resonated with the American audience and the film society alike. The film only has one win from the National Film Preservation Board, USA and with zero nominations in the Academy Award department. In the end, the film showcases an amazing slice of Americana, which looked at the social confusion of the Depression era along with its political stance that showcased the simplest