The Spread of the Depression 1929-1932 (T2) Flashcards

1
Q

What was the rate of unemployment rate during the Depression?

A

From 3.2% of the labour force in 1929 to 25.2% by 1933.

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2
Q

How many people were out of work?

A

12,830,000

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3
Q

What was the most likely figure of unemployed people?

A

17 million

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4
Q

What was the national wage bill in 1932?

A

Only 40% of the 1929 figure

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5
Q

How even was the spread of the Depression?

A

Unemployment and underemployment were spread throughout the country unevenly.

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6
Q

How many people were unemployed in New York State?

A

1 million unemployed.

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7
Q

How much of the workforce were unemployed in Cleveland?

A

50%

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8
Q

How much of the workforce were unemployed in Toledo?

A

80%

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9
Q

Who were the particular victims of the Depression?

A

Women and ethnic minorities

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10
Q

How many more black Americans were unemployed compared to white Americans?

A

Four to six times higher than the rate of white American unemployment rate.

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11
Q

What happened to the jobs that were reserved for Black Americans?

A

Poorly paid jobs such as those of waiter and lift attendant, were now increasingly offered to white people.

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12
Q

How many Black Americans were unemployed?

A

52% compared to 31.7% of white Americans.

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13
Q

How many Black Americans were unemployed by 1933?

A

50% compared to 25% of White Americans.

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14
Q

How many Black Americans left the South during the Depression years?

A

300,000

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15
Q

Who were the poorest of all Americans?

A

Native Americans

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16
Q

What was the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887?

A

Policy of allotment which meant that the old tribal units were broken up and the reservations divided into family-sized farms of 160 acres.

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17
Q

What did this destruction of Native American culture do?

A

Left people listless and apathetic.

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18
Q

Was allotment of Native American land a success?

A

Was a failure particularly for those Native Americans who were not farmers by tradition.

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19
Q

What was the land like that was given to Native Americans?

A

Most of the land allocated was unsuitable for productive farming.

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20
Q

How many acres were owned by Native Americans at the time of the Dawes Severalty Act?

A

138 million acres

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21
Q

How many acres of land had Native Americans lost by 1932?

A

90 million acres

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22
Q

How did the Great Depression impact Native Americans?

A

Native Americans found it more difficult to leave the poverty-stricken reservations in search of work.

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23
Q

How had attitudes towards the Dawes Severalty Act changed?

A

By 1926 a Department of the Interior inquiry confirmed that the Act had been a disaster and the policy of allotment should be reversed.

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24
Q

How were Hispanic Americans treated?

A

Had been widely recruited throughout the Southwest as seasonal workers to help agriculture.

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25
Q

What did the Depression mean for Hispanic Americans?

A

Many were repatriated.

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26
Q

How were Hispanic Americans repatriated?

A

Under the aegis of the Federal Bureau of Immigration.

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27
Q

Why were Hispanic Americans repatriated?

A

To cut the budget for relief and free up some jobs for white Americans.

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28
Q

How many people were repatriated during the Depression?

A

400,000

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29
Q

Who were those that were forced to leave?

A

Many of those forced to leave were actually US citizens, some had never lived anywhere but the USA.

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30
Q

How were women treated during the Depression?

A
  • Those in unskilled jobs were likely to be laid off before men.
  • Those in domestic service suffered because families could no longer afford to keep them on.
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31
Q

What did married women do during the Depression?

A

Often needed to work to keep the family solvent.

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32
Q

What were the attitudes towards married women who were working?

A

Often accused of being responsible for male unemployment.

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33
Q

What percent of American school authorities refused to employ married women?

A

75% by 1930

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34
Q

How many states had laws against the employment of married women?

A

Half of the 48 States.

35
Q

What was the impact of the Depression on the coal industry?

A

Production in 1932 was at its lowest since 1904, and the workforce fell by 300,000.

36
Q

What were the hours and wages of those in the coal industry during the Depression?

A

Many were only part-time and wages could be as low as $2.50 per day.

37
Q

What was the impact of the Depression on textile firms?

A

75% of textile firms were losing money.

38
Q

What was the impact of the Depression on iron and steel production?

A

Fell by 59% and US Steel Corporation’s workforce was part-time by the end of 1932.

39
Q

How much did car sales fall by during the Depression?

A

Fell from 4,455,178 in 1929 to 1,103,557 in 1933

40
Q

What happened to the average number of people employed in Detroit?

A

Fell by 21.5% between 1928 and 1929

41
Q

What was the impact of the Depression on the construction industry?

A

Saw the number of newly built residential units fall 82% between 1929 and 1932.

42
Q

How much did construction contracts fall by?

A

Were valued at $6.6 billion in 1929 but only $1.3 billion 1932

43
Q

How much did the growth rate fall by?

A

6.7% in 1929 to 14.7% in 1932.

44
Q

What was the fall in GNP during the Depression?

A

From $203.6 billion in 1929 to $144.2 billion in 1932

45
Q

What happened to credit during the Depression?

A

Had vanished, and the stock market went into serious decline.

46
Q

What happened to banking during the Depression?

A

Bank closures multiplied.

47
Q

What were the numbers of bank closures?

A

Over 10,000 between 1929 and 1933.

48
Q

What were the majority of these banks which were closed?

A

Small banks that had overextended lending in the time of prosperity.

49
Q

What happened to farmers in the Depression in relation to banking?

A

When they couldn’t meet their mortgage repayments, the banks had to evict them and take the farms over.

50
Q

What happened to the banks after these evictions?

A

The banks lost liquid assets in the form of mortgage repayments and gained bankrupt farms in exchanged.

51
Q

What was the social impact of the Depression?

A

The USA was ill-equipped to handle unemployment.

52
Q

Was there any government policies to help unemployment?

A

There was no federal unemployment benefit.

53
Q

What were attitudes towards the unemployed at this time?

A

The work ethic was very strong in America and unemployment was considered the persons fault.

54
Q

What did the number of marriages fall by during the Depression?

A

Fell from 1.23 million in 1929 to 982,000 in 1932

55
Q

What was the fall in birth rate during the Depression?

A

From 21.2 per thousand in 1929 to 19.5 per thousand in 1932.

56
Q

What was the increase in suicide rates during the Depression?

A

Increased from 14 per 10,000 in 1929 to 17.4 per 10,000 in 1932.

57
Q

Where did relief come from?

A

Provided variously by states, local authorities or charities.

58
Q

Before 1932 what unemployment support was in place?

A
  • Before 1932, no state had any kind of system of recognised unemployment insurance
  • Only 11 operated any kind of pension scheme.
59
Q

How did the Depression affect the elderly?

A

The majority of elderly people lived below the poverty line.

60
Q

How many pension schemes were in place?

A

In 1925 only 36,000 pensioners in receipt of pensions from 500 pension plans.

61
Q

What did the low amount of pension schemes mean for elderly people?

A

Traditionally had to keep working, live on their savings or rely on their children for support.

62
Q

How did the Depression impact these ways of support for elderly people?

A

These options were no longer viable.

63
Q

What was happening to relief bodies?

A

They were running out of funds.

64
Q

What had happened to charities?

A

Naturally suffered a decline in revenue.

65
Q

What happened to money for States?

A

Received less in taxes as unemployment rose.

66
Q

What did some States do to save money?

A
  • Arkansas: schools were closed for 10 months in the year
  • Chicago: Teachers went unpaid during the winter of 1932-33
67
Q

How much of the necessary funds could charities provide?

A

6% in 1932

68
Q

What did states do in 1931 and 1932?

A
  • Cut their relief appropriations.
  • Eg, Michigan reduced funds from $2 million in 1931 to $832,000 in 1932.
69
Q

What was the result of this strain on resources?

A

Many people went hungry or were starving.

70
Q

How many people were estimated to be receiving no income?

A

28%

71
Q

What did this estimate not include?

A

11 million farm workers, many who were in acute difficulties.

72
Q

What issue did many farms face?

A

Had their mortgages foreclosed when farmers could no longer pay them.

73
Q

What happened to food prices?

A

Farm prices were so low that food could not be profitably harvested.

74
Q

What happened to meat prices?

A

Were not sufficient to warrant transporting animals to market.

75
Q

How many one-parent families headed by a woman were there?

A

3.8 million, only 19,280 receiving any aid.

76
Q

What rose during the Depression years?

A

Crime and gangsterism

77
Q

Who were two of the most famous outlaws?

A

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

78
Q

Who was the Clyde Barrow Gang?

A

Ranged across the Southwest in the 30s, mainly robbing gas stations and stores.

79
Q

How did the Clyde Barrow Gang gain its notoriety?

A

For the dozen or so banks they raided.

80
Q

What was the background of Bonnie and Clyde?

A

They were small-time crooks from appalling backgrounds with a penchant for violence.

81
Q

How many people did Bonnie and Clyde kill?

A

Responsible for the death of at least nine police officers.

82
Q

When did Bonnie and Clyde lose much of public sympathy?

A

After their almost clinical execution of two young police officers near Grapevine, Texas in April 1934.

83
Q

When were Bonnie and Clyde caught?

A

Were ambushed by a posse of Louisiana and Texas lawmen in Bienville Parish, Louisiana on 23 May 1934.

84
Q

What happened to Bonnie and Clyde?

A

Were shot more than 50 times.