Chapter 23—The Great Depression

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION I: What factors led to the coming of the Great Depression?

I.The Coming of the Great Depression

  1. The Great Crash
  2. Stock Market Boom—What encouraged the widespread buying of stocks?
  3. “Black Tuesday”—What happened on “Black Tuesday”?
  4. Cause of the Depression—What was the most remarkable thing about the Great Depression?
  5. Lack of Diversification—In what two areas was the economy concentrated?
  6. Maldistribution of Wealth—What was the problem with the way that wealth was distributed in society? What was wrong with the credit structure in society? What risky behaviors did many banks engage in?
  7. Declining Exports—What happened to depress America’s international trade?
  8. Unstable International Debt Structure—What happened because of WWI to contribute to the Great Depression?
  9. Progress of the Depression
  10. Banking Collapse—What happened to U.S. banks after the stock market crash? What happened after the banks failed? How did the Federal Reserve make things worse?

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION II: How did the Great Depression affect different groups within American society?

II.The American People in Hard Times

  1. Unemployment and Relief
  2. Belief in Personal Responsibility—Who did most people blame for their problems? How did the country try to meet the needs of the needy? What did some men do in reaction to the hard times?
  3. Dust Bowl—What happened on the Great Plains to make farming difficult?
  4. “Okies”—Who were the Okies, where did they go, and why?
  5. African Americans and the Depression
  6. African American Suffering—How were African Americans particularly affected by the Depression?
  7. Scottsboro Case—What happened in the Scottsboro Case and what did it reveal about racial tensions in the South during the Great Depression?
  8. Mexican Americans in Depression America—How were Mexican American experiences similar to African Americans during the Depression?
  9. Discrimination Against Hispanics—Why did some Mexicans leave the U.S.?
  10. Asian Americans in Hard Times—What challenges did Asian Americans face during the Depression?
  11. Women and the Workplace in the Great Depression
  12. Popular Disapproval of Women’s Employment—What beliefs did the Depression strengthen?
  13. Increased Female Employment—What happened to patterns of women’s employment during the Depression? What challenge did men pose for working women? What happened to black women workers?
  14. Depression Families
  15. Retreat From Consumerism—How did consumption patterns change with the Depression? What happened to demographic trends during the Depression?

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION III: How did the Great Depression affect American culture?

III.The Depression and American Culture

  1. Depression Values
  2. Persistence of the “Success Ethic”
  3. Self-Blame—Who did most people blame for their troubles during the Depression?
  4. Artists and Intellectuals in the Great Depression
  5. “Discovery” of Rural Poverty—How was rural poverty “discovered” during this time?
  6. Depression Literature—What were some of the critiques in the literature of the Depression era?
  7. Radio—How did radio shape interactions between people?
  8. Escapist Programming—What was the most important function of radio during the Depression? How did soap operas get their name?
  9. Radio’s Impact—How did radio change how most people experienced national events?
  10. Movies in the New Era
  11. Continuing Popularity of Movies—Why did people attend the movies during the Depression? What types of movies were made (and what messages did they transmit)?
  12. Walt Disney—How did Disney revolutionize movie making? What famous films were made during this time?
  13. Popular Literature and Journalism
  14. The Popular Front and the Left
  15. Spanish Civil War
  16. Southern Tenant Farmers Union—What was the STFU, and what were its goals?
  17. The Left’s Newfound Respectability
  18. The Grapes of Wrath—Who wrote the Grapes of Wrath, and what was its message?

BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS FOR SECTION IV: What actions did President Hoover take in the face of the Great Depression and how did Americans react to him?

IV.The Unhappy Presidency of Herbert Hoover

  1. The Hoover Program—What did Hoover see as his primary job when the Depression started?
  2. Failure of Voluntarism—How did Hoover try to get businesses and workers to fight the effects of the Depression? How did Hoover try to use the government? How did his actions make things worse?
  3. Agricultural Marketing Act—What did Hoover attempt to accomplish with the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, but what actually happened?
  4. Hoover’s Declining Popularity—What were “Hoovervilles”?
  5. Reconstruction Finance Corporation—What was the RFC, and what was it intended to do? Why was the RFC ultimately unsuccessful?
  6. Popular Protest
  7. Farmers’ Holiday Association—What did farmers try to organize? What was the “Bonus Army”?
  8. Demise of the Bonus Army—What happened to the Bonus Army, and what did those actions do to Hoover’s popularity?
  9. The Election of 1932
  10. FDR Nominated—Who did the Republicans nominate? Who did the Democrats nominate? What was FDR’s background? What adversity did he face? What did he pledge to the American people?
  11. 1932 Election—Who won the election of 1932?
  12. The “Interregnum”
  13. Banking Crisis—What was happening to cause a banking crisis (and what was happening to banks as a result)?