Great Depression Dbq

The statement that ‘The US was stuck in a criss and lacking obvious resolutions’ is exceedingly accurate as the US society was in a period of predicament with no immediate decisions. It was a time of severe crisis due to social tension brought on by urbanisation, fundamentalism and the differing political and social ideas. They led to industrial strikes, the migration of African-Americans, and the creation of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) however there were underground causes such as the Great Depression enhancing these tensions. In order to cease the Depression, Hoover attempted to halt the Depression through voluntarism only leading to intervention. Despite his work, people only saw a lack of success, a lack of success whereas Roosevelt's attempt

This led to the Wall Street crash where 9 million people lost their savings and ensued in a bank crisis. Consumerism plummeted and failing businesses laid off workers, where around 12 million people were unemployed by 1932 and the unemployment rate was 33% in 1933. “The Crash exposed the weaknesses that underlay the prosperous economy..” (Leuchtenburg) states how the crash revealed the underlying crippled economy the US had and how it completely shattered the economy. The nature of the Depression was caused through a range of causes and the situation deepened from the

Roosevelt. Roosevelt won the election 1933 as he promised the nation that he would put an end to the economic crisis. Roosevelt was a prominent president during the Great Depression, implementing policies such as the New Deal and a program known as the 3 R’s program. Relief for the unemployed and poor, Recovery of the economy and the US society in general and to Reform the financial system to prevent a repeat of this situation. Overall, his aim was to create jobs, establish social welfare plans and stabilise the corrupt bank systems. The New Deal was a series of programs and policies, known as Alphabet Agencies, applied throughout the US. Roosevelt’s first new deal focused on reform and his primary aim was economic recovery as he focused on businesses. There were many such as FERA, CCC, CWA and the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) where Hoosevelt aimed to reform to cut overproduction which was successful as farm incomes rose from $4.5 to $6.9 billion in 1932 and 1939 respectively. However, the act controlled the supply and demand of the agricultural industry, also triggering a migration of marginal farmers in the South and Midwest to northern cities and California. His second New Deal focused on a permanent reform such as the SSA, NLRA and Works Progress Administration (WPA) which was the main federal relief agency. The WPA spent $10.5 billion on the employment of 8.5 million Americans between 1935 and 1943. Ultimately, like all Presidents, Roosevelt’s weakness