The Great Depression of the 1930s followed the pro-business era of the 1920s, which was, in many ways, a retelling of the Gilded Age. Efforts by progressive and populist reformers fell short in radically reforming American morals, allowing businesses to dominate society socioeconomically once more. This all ended when the stock market crashed, banks suspended payments, unemployment rose astronomically, and life became a struggle for livelihood. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) ascended to the presidency in 1932 and set about restoring America’s economy through is various “New Deal” programs, some of the most comprehensive government intervention actions in the nation’s history. The Great Depression ultimately ended with American mobilization for war in 1941.
In the Gilded Age, I’m looking for cultural themes and trends to relate to modern America. With the Great Depression, I’m taking more of an economic and government perspective. The Great Depression radically altered American perceptions of a strong economy and the role of government in upholding that economy. My overarching question for the era, then, is: How did the Great Depression alter American economic and political ideals, and to what extent are those ideals still relevant in modern America? Like with any research question, this is subject to deviation and realignment, but the central theme is of that nature.
Post list:
How America Failed the 1920s Global Financial System, Part 1
Inklings of a New American Perspective on Government
Analyzing the Legacy of Herbert Hoover, Part 1
Analyzing the Legacy of Herbert Hoover, Part 2
How America Failed the Global Financial System, Part 2
The Plight of American Farmers
World War II, Depression, and the Military-Industrial Complex
Addressing Environmental and Socioeconomic Lenses of the CCC
An American Inquiry 
