“It took capitalism half a century to come back from the Great Depression.”-Ben Shapiro. Ben Shapiro is an American commentator, a writer and a lawyer. The Great Depression was a very catastrophic event that occured during one of the most difficult time periods to be alive in American history - the 1930s. A few of the catastrophic events that occured during this time was the Stock Market Crash, the Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression. These disasters that occurred during the 1930s made it a grueling time period to live in.
To start, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused the beginning of the 1930s to be difficult to survive through. The stock market was at its peak during the 1920s, and it had been thriving up until September of 1929. From September into October, the stock prices started to fall, and by October 18, the market plummeted and people felt the effect instantly. (History.com Editors) People scrambled to trade their shares, but despite the country’s attempts to fix what had arisen, the outcome of the crash was inevitable. Approximately 12.9 million shares were traded shortly after the crisis as investors panicked and attempted to replenish what was lost (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). People felt overwhelmed with dread as they struggled to pull their lives back together after the initial crash. Many businesses had got put out of business, and this caused families to be in distress. “... more than 13 million Americans were unemployed, half of the country's banks had failed...” (Deneke 101). Families were left jobless, and many couldn’t afford food, clothes, shelter, and other basic necessities. Citizens were struggling to survive without money to buy these basic necessities. This crash caused the 1930s to begin defectively, but this was not the only thing that caused the 1930s to be disastrous.
Secondly, the Dust Bowl was another catastrophic event in the 1930s that left many people in a lot of trouble. The Dust Bowl was a series of dust storms and extreme droughts that affected some parts of the United States. Soil and crops were blown off fields and the storm carried them for many miles. (Bill Ganzel) This led to many sources of food being destroyed, and that caused the prices for food to be higher as the demand increased. “Millions of hectares of land had either been sucked dry of any moisture or were literally blowing out of control.” (Waiser 32) With families and citizens already struggling with the stock market crash only a few years earlier, many could not afford food, and now the option of growing it for themselves was cut out as well. Numerous farming families were desperate, and many moved west to California in search of work and a greater quality of life (Deneke 101). When people didn’t have any money or any crops or livestock, many felt hopeless and attempted to better their lives. This posed the most disastrous environmental catastrophe of the 1930s.
Lastly, the Great Depression had a lasting effect on the people living in the 1930s, and left many in ruins. The Great Depression was an effect of the Stock Market Crash, and it carried all throughout the rest of the 1930s. Despite many losing their jobs, those who didn’t had their wages cut and their work hours decreased (Arnesen). The search for jobs became a vital part of many lives in the 30s, and people traveled a great distance if there was a job possibility. Once the need for money kicked in and people lost their jobs, many resorted to using up their life savings (Tarshis 10). This not only made people’s lives extremely difficult, but made the recovery from this event even more strenuous. “it took an international event to pull the United States out of the Great Depression.” (Arnesen) The entire United States had to come together and look out for each other. It took a long time for people to get jobs again and get their lives back together. Many people didn’t survive through the Great Depression, and the majority of the country suffered greatly. Eventually, though, America recovered.
In conclusion, these catastrophic events made the 1930s an awful time to live. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 started the 1930s on a rough patch, and the Dust Bowl made almost all of the blue collar citizens go broke and hungry. All while this was going on, the economy in the US was at it all time low during the Great Depression. Living through the 1930s would have been grueling and exhausting because of the disasters that occured. Not only was the economy ruined, but many lives were destroyed as well. With all of the destruction caused during the 1930s, the most that can be done now is learn from history, and do our best to prevent similar instances in the future.
To start, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused the beginning of the 1930s to be difficult to survive through. The stock market was at its peak during the 1920s, and it had been thriving up until September of 1929. From September into October, the stock prices started to fall, and by October 18, the market plummeted and people felt the effect instantly. (History.com Editors) People scrambled to trade their shares, but despite the country’s attempts to fix what had arisen, the outcome of the crash was inevitable. Approximately 12.9 million shares were traded shortly after the crisis as investors panicked and attempted to replenish what was lost (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica). People felt overwhelmed with dread as they struggled to pull their lives back together after the initial crash. Many businesses had got put out of business, and this caused families to be in distress. “... more than 13 million Americans were unemployed, half of the country's banks had failed...” (Deneke 101). Families were left jobless, and many couldn’t afford food, clothes, shelter, and other basic necessities. Citizens were struggling to survive without money to buy these basic necessities. This crash caused the 1930s to begin defectively, but this was not the only thing that caused the 1930s to be disastrous.
Secondly, the Dust Bowl was another catastrophic event in the 1930s that left many people in a lot of trouble. The Dust Bowl was a series of dust storms and extreme droughts that affected some parts of the United States. Soil and crops were blown off fields and the storm carried them for many miles. (Bill Ganzel) This led to many sources of food being destroyed, and that caused the prices for food to be higher as the demand increased. “Millions of hectares of land had either been sucked dry of any moisture or were literally blowing out of control.” (Waiser 32) With families and citizens already struggling with the stock market crash only a few years earlier, many could not afford food, and now the option of growing it for themselves was cut out as well. Numerous farming families were desperate, and many moved west to California in search of work and a greater quality of life (Deneke 101). When people didn’t have any money or any crops or livestock, many felt hopeless and attempted to better their lives. This posed the most disastrous environmental catastrophe of the 1930s.
Lastly, the Great Depression had a lasting effect on the people living in the 1930s, and left many in ruins. The Great Depression was an effect of the Stock Market Crash, and it carried all throughout the rest of the 1930s. Despite many losing their jobs, those who didn’t had their wages cut and their work hours decreased (Arnesen). The search for jobs became a vital part of many lives in the 30s, and people traveled a great distance if there was a job possibility. Once the need for money kicked in and people lost their jobs, many resorted to using up their life savings (Tarshis 10). This not only made people’s lives extremely difficult, but made the recovery from this event even more strenuous. “it took an international event to pull the United States out of the Great Depression.” (Arnesen) The entire United States had to come together and look out for each other. It took a long time for people to get jobs again and get their lives back together. Many people didn’t survive through the Great Depression, and the majority of the country suffered greatly. Eventually, though, America recovered.
In conclusion, these catastrophic events made the 1930s an awful time to live. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 started the 1930s on a rough patch, and the Dust Bowl made almost all of the blue collar citizens go broke and hungry. All while this was going on, the economy in the US was at it all time low during the Great Depression. Living through the 1930s would have been grueling and exhausting because of the disasters that occured. Not only was the economy ruined, but many lives were destroyed as well. With all of the destruction caused during the 1930s, the most that can be done now is learn from history, and do our best to prevent similar instances in the future.
The Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused a widespread panic across the United States.
The Dust Bowl was a catastrophe that affected farmers directly, and affected all the lives of the families who relied on farmland, crops, animals, and other things that farms provided.
During the Great Depression, many families struggled to support their families, and many parents had to give up their food and everything they had just to keep their family alive.