5 May 2022

392

The Making of Modern America

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Academic level: College

Paper type: Essay (Any Type)

Words: 1286

Pages: 5

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A.

The cause of Great Depression was due to a combination of domestic and global conditions. The impacts of the Great Depression were tremendous all over the world. The Stock market crash in 1929 likewise referred to as the Black Tuesday, was one of the leading causes of Great Depression (Roth, Ledbetter & Roth, 2009).

When the Stock Markets crashed, investors were quick to change to swung to the real cash markets. The new phenomenon of 1931 saw investors trading their money for gold leading to a rush for the money. Nearly immediately after the first stock market crash, the stockholders experienced a significant loss estimated to be beyond $40 billion. At the end of 1930, the stock market saw some change in its operations and their downfall. Instead, there was a significant change in recovering some of the losses however it was not sufficient which saw America plunge into what we call the Great Depression.

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Regardless of assurance from President Herbert Hoover and different pioneers that the crisis would soon be over and run its course, things kept getting worse. Between 1930 and 1940, the banks had difficulties in their operations. Deposits through the banks were not insured leading to loss of savings among individuals. The unaffected banks were not sure of the financial situations and were doubtful on their survival; they did not want to give more loans prompting secondary expenditures.

With the stock market crash and monetary losses, people from all classes quit buying items leading to a reduction in products generated and therefore a decline in the labour force. (Cravens, 2009) As a result, most people were not able to maintain occupations; they had difficulty in paying for goods they had bought using instalments, leading to repossession of their property. More stock started to aggregate. The joblessness rate transcended to 25%, which implied, apparently, even less spending to help mitigate the financial circumstance.

The country’s situation got worse, causing the government to mitigate the situation. With the aim of safeguarding U.S. industrial sector from foreign competitors, the Congress obliged to pass the Tariff Act of 1930. The act, also known as the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, saw charging of high duty imports leading to plummeting in trade activities between the U.S and other nations who were actively involved in trading with America (Roth, Ledbetter & Roth, 2009). Consequently, world trade fell by 66% between 1929 and 1934.Franklin Roosevelt and the Congress, dominated by Democrats had to pass a new law giving powers the president to negotiate duty rates with different countries (Roth, Ledbetter & Roth, 2009).

In 1930, the Mississippi Valley experienced one of the worst drought conditions which made a lot of people have difficulties in paying taxes or fulfilling different obligations leading to some selling their farms without minding profits (Roth, Ledbetter & Roth, 2009).

B.

Following significant legislation, the Congress passed the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which led to farmers who produced commodities like wheat, corns, dairy products and tobacco to leave their farms fallow with the objective of ending agricultural surpluses and lift costs.

The empowerment of the government was brought about by the Tennessee Valley Authority Act which came into the rule and therefore giving powers the government to construct water reserves along the Tennessee River with the focus of controlling floods and creation of economic hydroelectricity for the citizens.

Thirdly, the National Industrial Recovery Act to allow the President to control industry for reasonable wages and costs that would fortify economic recuperation. The passing of NIRA introduced a novel trial in U.S. financial history. The NIRA endorsed, bolstered, and at times, implemented cooperation of industries. The act additionally called for industrial self-control and announced codes of reasonable rivalry for the security of customers, competitors, and businesses were to be drafted for the different ventures of the nation and were to be liable to open hearings.

C1.

The Soviet Nation and the United States including their respective partners took part in the supremacy fight during the cold war. At that moment, apart from America and Soviet nuclear reserves, some other nations were manufacturing atomic weapons, but none could compare to the superiority of the two countries.

The United States and the Soviet endeavoured to keep up or extend their range of prominence while maintaining a strategic distance from full-scale war. A key factor was the idea of discouragement (Cravens, 2009). By exhibiting its innovative prevalence, each side planned to influence the other that a war would be futile. The subsequent arms race was a unique reason for the Cold War.

C2.

Sometimes, the United States and the Soviet Union had philosophical differences (Grant, 2005). The communists were controlling the Russian Revolution of 1917. The phenomenon led to the United States and Britain develop worries on the fate befalling their countries. Consequently, they boosted the White Army, who were against the communists, in the Soviet Union Civil War which took after their failure. However, the US took a long time to recognize socialist government up to 1933; instead, they were a capitalist democracy who had fears for communism (Grant, 2005). The communist life involves the use of force, terror, oppression, controllable press and suppression of rights whereas capitalist democracy is a life based on majority characterized by free institutions, government representatives, fair elections, individual rights and freedom (Grant, 2005).

Apart from differences in ideologies, the two sides were activist and expansionist. Each team had a belief that the other doctrine was dangerous to their specific way of living and thus would be glad in their particular belief system. This form of ideological differences and hostility had implications that both Americans and Russians were under the influence of their convictions.

C3.

Cultural fights between the superpowers had enormous effects on the daily operations and lifestyle of most American population more than other time of the Cold War. The national security offices urged Hollywood to deliver anticommunist videos and film contents which were altered to eliminate parts of American history and to achieve publicity. (Cravens, 2009). As a result, they had a focus on videos aiming at exhibiting patriotism, yet also led to doubting of the socialist actions in the U.S. The anticommunists’ opinions clashed with Hollywood during the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) case determination against communists’ suspects in Hollywood (Grant, 2005). While the socialists were lucky, there was a destruction of a lot of individual lives due to weak evidence, unconfirmed accusations, and individual groups' refusal to take part in the determinations or reply to questions (Cravens, 2009). Anticommunist enthusiasm led to surrounding problems. For example, the Better American League of Southern California collected two million names of those thought to be local subversives (Grant, 2005). A considerable lot of these people were terminated, boycotted, and had their social equality disregarded given these cases.

The adjustments in domestic policies prompted the counterculture, or resistance amid the Vietnam War. Be that as it may. The Cold War changed American culture by presenting both remote and residential dread into the lives of Americans (Grant, 2005). It additionally brought more spending in security programs (Grant, 2005). The Cold War gave a period of scientific development that would confine training, yet also realize programs that would grow humanity into an unknown space (Cravens, 2009).

D.

The Civil Right Movement led to various changes. Their main aim was integration through the elimination of racial segregation, emphasis on diversification, and the right to vote. The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, apparently ensured the vote to black people (Cravens, 2009).

The Feminist’s Movement aim was to eliminate lack of equality in the workplace which included denial of better salary and favourable working conditions with the help of anti-discrimination laws. Betty Friedan efforts led to fights for women participation in public and political fields (Cravens, 2009).

The Gay Rights Movement was responsible for fighting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people (LGBT) (Cravens, 2009). The movement’s development in the United States has achieved an immense positive change over the last century, and more specifically, the previous two decades. Laws forbidding gay movement have been thrown out. People presently have a chance to serve without no problems in the military and the adoption of children by same-sex couples, an achievement which has been a long and rough struggle for gay rights defenders, who are still advocating for work, houses and transgender rights (Cravens, 2009).

Finally, the Religious Right formed in the late 1970s made a broad-based religious interest to Americans which stressed traditional family ethics, championed free-market, and pushed a hard line policy on the way to deal with the Soviet Union (Cravens, 2009). They additionally reprimanded mainstream and materialistic patterns in American culture. The Religious Right connected with the rare and monetary decay of the country. The associations of the Religious Right impacted the 1976 and 1980 presidential decisions by straightforwardly influencing the political fortunes of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

References

Cravens, H. (2009). Great Depression . Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.

Grant, R. (2005). The great depression . London: Franklin Watts.

Roth, B., Ledbetter, J., & Roth, D. B. (2010). The great depression: a diary . New York: Public Affairs.

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