Problems Faced By Farmers In The 1930's Essay

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In the 1930’s, farmers were faced with many problems. With snowballing railroad rates for shipment and the falling prices of crops, farming families were really struggling. This struggle was later to be known as the start of the Great Depression. The Joad family, as well as many other farmers were attacked by the industrial revolution, and the jump in technology. The land was being cleared for cities. Similarly, prices are increasing in order to accommodate higher incomes and newer technologies. And along the lines of the farmers, minimum wage workers are left behind in the dust. The strikes popping up in the cities are as symbolic as the western migrations of farmers. They are the solutions of the many economic hardships. The Joad family is met with persecution and resentment from servicemen, to land-owners, and even the police. Likewise, many protester are discouraged by large business CEO’s. But in the end the only thing that keeps them going is their family. As stated by …show more content…

With a few number holding all the cards, they are free to increase prices of their goods. New technologies are created in order to increase profit and lower competition. These practices leave the lower class helpless; with prices increasing, the purchasing power of many is drastically reduced. Minimum wage simply isn’t enough to support a family when everything becomes more expensive. Similarly, with large land-owners, small-time farmers are run out of business. The market chooses cheaper mass goods, rather than costly crops. With such a major dip in income, the economy starts to weaken. The Joad’s see this happen to all their neighbors in Oklahoma: large companies forcing small farmers out of their land. But even after they try to escape the dominance in the Midwest, they are met by more wealthy landowners in California. This is the root of all hardships faced by the Joad’s as well as the protestors:

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