A world in depression

Economic contraction Economic decline marked by a falling output of goods services Depression: particularly long and severe contraction Great Depression Lasted from 1929 until the United States entered World War II in 1941

Workers Henry Ford closed Detroit plant laying-off 75,000 workers Women who were married got laid off People in Minority groups were laid off About 56% of black Americans were out of work 1932 – 12 million people were unemployed (1/4 of labor force)

Farmers Severe drought & poor farming practices Dust Bowl “Black blizzard” Could not pay mortgages, lost their farms to the banks 60% of dust bowl families lost their farms Relief did not come until WWII and the rain States where the dust bowl took place WY, ND, SD, NE, KS, OK, TX, CO, MT

Impact on the World U.S. does not have money to lend to European countries Germany cannot pay back reparations France and Britain cannot pay back war time debts Other countries depending on American markets for goods and investments Hawley-Smoot tariff Highest import tax in American history, in a n effort to protect domestic industries. World trade suffers as a result

Society begins to crack Unemployment and fear of losing a job caused great anxiety “Hoovervilles” = shelters for the homeless Thousands rode the rails or jumped on trains illegally to travel across the country Men who had lost jobs or investments felt like failures – some left their families