 • Introduction Hebert Hoover, campaigning in the 1928 presidential election, declared, “We shall soon with the help of god be in sight of the day when poverty shall be banished from this nation.” Yet one year later, the stock market crashed, and the nation was plunged into an economic crisis that was not to loosen its grip for a decade. This Great Depression produced as vast an upheaval in the nation’s political and economic life as it did in the lives of millions of individual citizens. The crisis it created swept away the individualistic, business oriented structure of the previous century and ushered in a philosophy of governmental responsibility and regulation designed to benefit the lowest members of the economic pyramid. But the Depression was more than an economic crisis that changed the direction of the federal government; it was a human tragedy for an entire populace. This was an era in which the common man had revolutionary ideas for reshaping society. The legislation of the early Roosevelt years was a response to this new mood. So was the rapid growth of labor unions and the proliferation of extremist movements. While this program, The Great Depression: 1929-1939, documents the major events of the Depression, it also examines the human drama of the period. It follows the nation turning out of the depths of its misery toward laughter. Jack Benny, Mae West, and Rudy Vallee are as much a part of the thirties as the soup kitchens and the NRA (National Recovery Administration). So is the growth of the aviation industry and steamship lines. All are proof that American vitality is surviving the crisis. To the young, the thirties seems an era shrouded in the mists of history. Yet that decade was a part of our recent past, and exerted a profound influence upon the present. This program brings those years to vivid life. The sights of the Depression are here, culled from the best photographs of the times. The voices are here, too—Herbert Hoover’s dry accents, FDR’s supremely confident tones, the horrified voice of a reporter at the scene of the Hindenburg crash. A valuable feature of this video is the commentary of Eric Goldman, Professor of History, Princeton University. A student of the Depression and a veteran television moderator, Professor Goldman offers analyses and observations that enrich the narrative. • Summary of Content Men waiting in dreary resignation outside soup kitchen doors…abandoned farms…pictures of despair, of misery, of a nation in distress…these are the photographs which open this two-part program. The narrative begins with the last months of 1929—Black Thursday, the panic on Wall Street, President Hoover’s conviction that the setback is temporary. But Hoover is wrong. Unemployment seeps the country, and by 1932 twelve million people are out of work. Families struggle to maintain themselves on minimal incomes from either sharply reduced wages or the meager charity available. The farmers’ problems become increasingly severe as world trade falls off sharply. Hoover clings to his belief in the traditional rugged individualism of the earlier America and refuses to sponsor federal relief. As the Depression intensifies, Americans are actually going hungry and unrest increases—culminating in hunger riots and the disastrous Bonus March on Washington. Many Americans look either to the extreme left or to the extreme right—a radical change in political structure. There is no question that the nation is ready for a new President and a new philosophy. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected to provide both. His “Hundred Days” of emergency legislation raises hope for the first time. Boldly, he sets out to restore both prosperity and confidence. Federal relief is high on his list of priorities. With his emergency legislation completed, FDR suggests long-range programs aimed at restoring prosperity and rebuilding the economy on a firm basis. Some aspects of the New Deal are enormously successful; others, like the NRA, are failures. But as the business begins a slow upswing and conditions improve, the business community turns against Roosevelt and opposition organizes. However, the majority of the people still are overwhelmingly with him, and Roosevelt is re-elected by an enormous. Part II of the filmstrip program opens with a review of the mood of the nation—escapism: as reflected in the popularity of great radio comedians; the fad for games and hobbies; and the development of new “pleasure” industries, such as aviation, motion pictures, and candid photography. The tremendous tensions of the Depression give rise to various radical movements and personalities, represented by such individuals as Huey Long and Father Coughlin. Born of the dust storms, the “Okies” begin their desperate wanderings. The labor movement grows and the great unions are established. Opposition to FDR increases, and much of his legislation is struck down by the Supreme Court or rejected by hostile Congress. Roosevelt attempts to “pack” the Court and fails. In 1937, the slow pull upwards is reversed by a brief recession, and the President’s popularity plummets. But now events in Europe explode into war. In America, isolationism fades as American sympathies veer toward the Allies. The New York World’s Fair of 1939 is a glittering tribute to man’s hopes; but soon those hopes crumble into the reality of clashing armies. America prepare for what is to come, and a new economic mobilization puts and end to the Depression. • Discussion Questions The following questions are designed to aid the teacher in correlating and making further use of The Great Depression: 1929-1939 in the classroom. Some may be used before the filmstrip is shown in order to give students a framework for viewing. 1. While historians and economists continue to debate the precise causes of the Great Depression, they tend to look for causes in certain broad areas. Explain the role of the following in contributing to the Depression: • the nature of our foreign relations; • the role of the federal government in the control of banking and business; • the economic structure of the United States during the 1920s. 2. The New Deal has been condemned by many as the initiator of socialism in America. Yet others argue that it was not imaginative enough and really did little to alleviate the effects of the Depression. Choose one of these positions and find evidence to support it. 3. How was it possible to have both overproduction and underconsumption simultaneously in one country? 4. During the Depression, radical groups sprang up on the left and the right, offering panaceas to the American people. a) What was the intellectual appeal of communism during this period? b) Why did the demagoguery of Huey Long find greater support among the masses than did communism? c) To what extent can the New Deal be seen as an essentially conservative movement, striving to preserve traditional American values and undermine the threat of revolution that appeared to be growing more dangerous with each passing day? 5. What steps have been taken at the federal level to help prevent another serious depression? 6. During the Depression, 20 to 25 percent of the total labor force was unemployed. This meant that 75 to 80 percent, or the vast majority, was indeed still working. a) Why then, was there such widespread economic collapse? b) Why as there panic and fear of revolution? d) Why is 5 percent unemployment considered dangerous today? 7. Herbert Hoover was a man of talent and integrity caught up in the events of his time. When he proved unable to cope with these events, he was ridiculed and dishonored. What similarities can you find in President Hoover’s situation and that of President Lyndon Johnson in early 1968? 8. Certain factions in the Civil Rights movement demanded projects similar to those fostered by the New Deal in public works and conservation. a) What were the Civil Rights leaders demanding? b) Were the demands valid? c) Why did Congress find it easier to enact such proposals in the thirties than it did in the sixties? • Suggested Projects 1. Isabel Leighton’s Aspirin Age gives excellent accounts of Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Dr. Francis Townsend. Have students prepare brief reports on the philosophies of these men and their effects upon society. 2. Make use of community resources by assigning a team of students to interview various citizens who have recollections of the Depression. These might be taped and retained in the Social Studies Department’s resource files. 3. Depression issues and aftermath lend themselves to role-playing. A good source is David A. Shannon’s The Great Depression, a compilation of individual accounts. Five students could role-play the parts of: • a midwestern farmer • an urban skilled worker • an unskilled laborer • a Chicago teacher • a “paper” millionaire 4. Contemporary music effectively reflected the mood of the Depression. Interesting comparisons might be made between the songs of the thirties and the songs of today. 5. Have students prepare a visual display including examples of fashion advertising, interior decoration, movie and theater posters, pictures of automobiles, airplanes, household products, etc. Compare them with those of today. |
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