During the 1920s, the American people saw a time of little struggle and hardship, as they had just finished fighting in the First World War and had begun to settle back into regular everyday life. As a result of the war, the economy was booming and life was so enjoyable that this time in American history is commonly referred to as the “roaring twenties”, because there was so much celebrating in these years that it was as if the entire country was roaring [1]. The stock market was at an all time high and businesses across the country were booming in this thriving economy. Even technology had advanced to new levels, with various new activities such as visits to the movie theatre becoming widely popular. It was clear that the quality of life in the country had never before been so high, and the people were enthusiastic to take advantage of it, but were also quick to ignore the signs that worse times were to come. The country would soon find out that these good times would not last forever, and that the American people would be plunged into a great economic recession, referred to today as the Great Depression.
At the end of the 1920s, the Great Depression began as the result of various economic factors including but not limited to, the lack of insurance on money deposited in banks, a significant overproduction of various resources, and the drying up of much of the farmland throughout the Midwest [3]. These factors, while on their own could not have caused the Great Depression, culminated at one time and overwhelmed the overly optimistic populous and created a hectic and worried environment. The good times that preceded it had made the people vulnerable to these conditions, and when they hit there was widespread panic. All throughout the country people rushed to save what money they could, however this only exacerbated the issues as it left the banks with no money to fund businesses and distribute loans, which meant that not just the banks fell, but the majority of general businesses too. In addition, these businesses had large masses of employees from the working class, so when they found themselves in financial straits, they were forced to lay off many of their workers, which meant that their families now faced the struggle of trying to provide for themselves without a proper source of income. Ultimately, it was a combination of the economic factors as well as the response that the American people gave to it that caused the Great Depression and the suffering that followed it.
These events certainly have a historical purpose, but it raises the specific question of why examining it is so valuable. To clarify this objective, we need look no further than our modern environment. In the present we face numerous economic factors such as tensions with trade and a weakening stock market that could sway us into a recession similar to the Great Depression, which begs the question of what we can do to ensure an event of its magnitude cannot hurt us the same way it hurt the people back then. To answer a question of this significance, it is imperative that we look back to similar events in America’s past. However, it is not just the events that transpired and the actions of the government that should be focused on, but the response that the working class and their families had to it.
While it is tempting to simply look at how the American population was affected by the Great Depression, it is imperative that we also look at how it impacted the rest of the world, as its effects expanded far beyond America alone. For this purpose, this museum will also observe how the Great Depression impacted the British working class, as this will allow us to see the impact of this event on a global scale. By doing so, a more complete image of its effects can be seen, and the perspectives of a wider demographic of people can be taken into account.
Research Question: What emotional and financial influences did the Great Depression have on working class families in both America and Britain from its beginning in 1929 to its conclusion in 1939?
Thesis: After observing the effects that this economic downturn had through video, photographic, and written sources of the time, it is observable that the Great Depression profoundly impacted the lives of working class families both emotionally and financially.