No Promises in the Wind/Great Depression Research Paper

Great Depression Research Paper Hope is a very powerful emotion; if you have hope it gives you the will to survive. Theses two things combined drove people to not give up during the Great Depression. Irene Hunt tells the tale of the Grondowski Family’s fight to survive the Great Depression, in the book No Promises in the Wind. The Great Depression was a financial and industrial slump. It began in 1929 and ended in 1940. Thus marking the harshest depression of the United States. The Great Depression had many causes that built up to make it as big as it was. During World War I the U.S. had loaned supplies and money to their European Allies; not having these supplies or money caused the countries to go into debt making the depression go worldwide. The U.S. had a weak economy. There was an inability of the political and financial institutions to cope with the downward spiral that had started in the late twenties. Even after political intervention fifteen percent of the work force were unemployed. The biggest cause of the Great Depression was the 1929 Stock Market Crash. On October 29, 1929 stock market prices dropped dramatically and continued to drop for the next three years. “Stock prices in the United States continued to fall, until by late 1932 they had dropped to 20% of there value in 1929”(Britanica 1). The Great Depression affected all of America. “By 1933, 11,00 of the United States’ 25,000 banks had failed” (Britanica 1). This failure caused a loss of confidence in the economy. Unemployment was also a big issue at the time. By 1932 unemployment had raised to 12 to 15 million people out of the work force; that is 25 to 30%. The manufacturers also lost a lot of their output. By 1932, The U.S. manufacturing output had fallen to 54% of its 1929 level. Many people’s lives were dramatically changed during the Great Depression. Many people had to deal with starvation, cold, drought and many other problems. Many people found ways to get through the

Cited: Danzer, Gerald A. "One American 's Story." The Americas; Reconstruction through the 20th. Evanston, IL: McDougall Littell, 1999. 490-94. Print. "Great Depression." Britanica (1999-2000): n. pag. National Geographic. Web. 17 Apr. 2000. Hunt, Irene. New York: Berkley, 1993. Print.