Causes Of The Great Depression

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The age of the Great Depression was littered with varying stories of extreme poverty rivaled by the contrasting stories of the .1 percent of society that possessed extreme wealth. President Hoover called the depression “a passing incident in our national lives” (cite 1) which proved to be a gross underestimation of the severity of the situation. The previous decades that brought roaring success and expanding technology was thought to be a period of great success that was earned through hard work and fluid government; and so when the economy collapsed blame turned inward and failure felt deserved just the same. Certain classes felt the strife more strongly as well as certain races, sexes and areas of the country. During the worst of the depression, Chicago suffered through a 40 percent unemployment average in some areas. A glaring example of the struggle in that area comes from Wanda Bridgeforth in an article published by National Public Radio. Wanda recounts the majesty that was Bronzeville, the “Black Metropolis” of Chicago; where jazz artists thrived and African American neighborhoods were relatively affluent before the struggle. "In the Depression, the men could not get jobs, and especially the black men," Bridgeforth noted. "Here was my father with a degree in chemistry, and he could not get a job." Shes goes on to recount how humiliated he was and how that lead to a debilitating breakdown of sorts, leaving her mother in a sort of “live-in domestic worker” and forcing her parents to send her to live with her relatives. When her relatives could no longer provide for themselves she was then sent to the homes of charitable strangers. (cite 2) Experiences like Wanda Bridgeforth’s were not at all uncommon during this tragic er... ... middle of paper ... ...ed from such well compensating industries. Employers paid higher wages to attract younger stronger laborers away from competing proprietors. Labor was not the only industry essentially begging from able workers; businesses such as daycare facilities, hospitals and other war related necessities boomed with job offerings. Furthermore, any companies hiring found it obligatory to offer excellent incentives including immunity from the draft, health care, and maternity leave; such benefits were unmanageable in previous years throughout the Great Depression. Perhaps the most benefited from wartime revenue was the state of California which became the most vital production area of industrial military production. Money was poured into the west coast via the federal government to aid the building of manufacturing plants, new military bases, shipyards and vessel factories.

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