Website Information
For the last couple of weeks I have been compiling all of my reasearc and information on a blog. Recently though, I created a website to take the information on my blog to the next level. The website takes all the information gathered and uses it in a new and technologically advanced way. The website enables people to view all the research that has been done in an interesting and informative manner. The website shows the my essential question, a basic history of the depression, and how the depression affected American's lives. This website can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/gettoknowthegreatdepression/home. The website includes a picture slideshow to give a visual representation of the depression, an audio recording, and a video. This website is truly a wonderful tool in portraying the research that has been done in a professional way. Hopefully the website will keep being a help in the research process and eventually unravel the causes of the Great Depression.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Summary of Initial Findings
The Great Depression is a topic covered in every American history class. Many people only know the basic concept of the event though, such as the date the stock market crashed and that millions of people lost their jobs. The research thus far has looked at what caused the depression on a deeper level. To fully understand the depression one must understand the beginning of it all and how life in America changed so drastically in the blink of and eye. So far the research that has been done was more background knowledge and the history of the depression. The Great Depression has two main parts the infamous stock market crash and the Dust Bowl in the midwest. Both of those parts must be scrutinized to fully comprehend the Great Depression. Being a histroy buff, the journey through these past few weeks of research have been both rewarding and amusing. The real research has not even begun though, it will be exciting to see how much more there is to learn about events that led up to the depression.
The Great Depression is a topic covered in every American history class. Many people only know the basic concept of the event though, such as the date the stock market crashed and that millions of people lost their jobs. The research thus far has looked at what caused the depression on a deeper level. To fully understand the depression one must understand the beginning of it all and how life in America changed so drastically in the blink of and eye. So far the research that has been done was more background knowledge and the history of the depression. The Great Depression has two main parts the infamous stock market crash and the Dust Bowl in the midwest. Both of those parts must be scrutinized to fully comprehend the Great Depression. Being a histroy buff, the journey through these past few weeks of research have been both rewarding and amusing. The real research has not even begun though, it will be exciting to see how much more there is to learn about events that led up to the depression.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Video
Summary
The speaker in the video states that the average unemplyment rate in America was one in four people. That was thirteen million people that were out of work in the duration of the depression. People were basically in shock at how bad America had gotten because it was in the jazz age and everything was running smoothly then all of a sudden disater struck. People in America lost sight of the "American dream" when the market crashed, putting the economy into the worst econimic times of the twentieth century. Things in America got even worse becasue of the dust bowl in the midwest. Many farmers lost their jobs and had to move to cities and set up slums basically. The depression did not end until America got involved in WWII because of all the military eqiptment that had to be made.
Analysis
The dust bowl did not cause the depression that was the crash of the stock market and many other factors within the banking system, but it did worsen the situation. Many farmers lost their jobs. When they lost their jobs , they no longer contributed to the economy, The more people out of work the worse the economy is going to get and that is exactly what happened. Many poeple were shell shocked when the crash occured because they were in an age of music, fun, and laughter. That could also be a reason times got so tough so quickly becasue no one was really in the mind set to deal with it. When America entered the second world war, equiptment was starting to be made in America which created jobs and in turn helped stir up wealth within the economy. WWII saved America from the depression in a way.
Question
Do you think it would of taken America a significant amount of time longer to get out of the depression if America did not get involved in WWII?
Citation
http://youtu.be/aPtbekTh2qo
The speaker in the video states that the average unemplyment rate in America was one in four people. That was thirteen million people that were out of work in the duration of the depression. People were basically in shock at how bad America had gotten because it was in the jazz age and everything was running smoothly then all of a sudden disater struck. People in America lost sight of the "American dream" when the market crashed, putting the economy into the worst econimic times of the twentieth century. Things in America got even worse becasue of the dust bowl in the midwest. Many farmers lost their jobs and had to move to cities and set up slums basically. The depression did not end until America got involved in WWII because of all the military eqiptment that had to be made.
Analysis
The dust bowl did not cause the depression that was the crash of the stock market and many other factors within the banking system, but it did worsen the situation. Many farmers lost their jobs. When they lost their jobs , they no longer contributed to the economy, The more people out of work the worse the economy is going to get and that is exactly what happened. Many poeple were shell shocked when the crash occured because they were in an age of music, fun, and laughter. That could also be a reason times got so tough so quickly becasue no one was really in the mind set to deal with it. When America entered the second world war, equiptment was starting to be made in America which created jobs and in turn helped stir up wealth within the economy. WWII saved America from the depression in a way.
Question
Do you think it would of taken America a significant amount of time longer to get out of the depression if America did not get involved in WWII?
Citation
http://youtu.be/aPtbekTh2qo
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Summary
In this article there are two different explanations for the cause of The Great Depression. One of which is the monetary theory. This theory states that the problems within the banking system caused the depression. Banks did not have enough money in order to sustain the economy for Americans. In a state of panic people started to withdraw money from the banks which led to a lack of money in circulation. Monetarists were presumptuous when they believed that there was a high demand in investments during the 1930’s. In fact it could have been the other way around and there were not enough people that would put the money into investing, which in turn caused the depression. This theory does a very good job of describing the events that occurred that eventually led to the depression, but it does not give a valid explanation for the full duration of the depression. The other explanation is the demand theory. This theory takes a closer look at the spending patterns pre-depression. Basically, the demands for products lessened significantly which was the base cause of the Great Depression. Since the consumption of products was at a low in the 1920’s the demand for production was also at a low. As a result wages and employment rates plumeted which put the economy further into the depression. In the 1920’s the industries that were supporting the economy and enabling it to prosper were weakening prior to the market crash. The demand theory has explanations for all of the Great Depression, not just the beginning of it.
Analysis
The two main theories about why the Great depression happened are the monetary theory and the demand theory. The monetary theory has some glitches in it because it really only covers reasons in the 1930’s of the depression. The theory covers the history of the depression quite well but it lacks support for the later years of it. The monetary theory zooms in on 1929 and 1930 with the crash and the banking problems but after that the theory is sort of vague and invalid. The other theory, the demand theory, does a much better job of covering the entire depression. It gives valid reasons as to why the economic state got so bad so quickly and kept spiraling out of control in a negative direction. Both theories have their flaws, but together they give a good idea as to why the economy hit an all time low from 1929-1941.
Question
In your opinion which theory is better? Why?
Citation
"Great Depression: Causes: What Caused the Great Depression?" History in Dispute. Ed. Robert J. Allison. Vol. 3: American Social and Political Movements, 1900-1945: Pursuit of Progress. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 54-61. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.
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