Great Depression stories documentary

The Great Depression of the 1930s changed the way people think in multiple areas. It was a period of protests and hunger marches, poverty and unemployment. Many people suffered quietly, ashamed of their status. Others had no choice but to roam the country in search of a job. No matter what their situation was, the Great Depression changed those in the generation that survived it. This excellent documentary brings the interesting stories from several witnesses of the era.

Great Depression of 1929 - part V

The last part of pictures regarding the Great Depression concerns the actual beginning of the crisis. Massive speculation preceded stock market crash on Wall Street. Just before the collapse, economist Irving Fisher famously stated, "Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." As the optimism of the bull market shattered on Tuesday, October 29, he probably regretted those words. Almost all share prices on the New York Stock Exchange took a sharp dive. Several leading Wall Street bankers met to find a solution to the panic and chaos on the trading floor, determining that strong buy activity on leading blue chip stocks (U.S. Steel) could ease the panic. Most notable authority was the legendary J.P. Morgan. That action proved only a quick fix which lasted a day. The fall actually continued at an unprecedented rate for a full month. Investors began to despair, some even to the measure of taking their own lives. Others became crazy with euphoria and even tried gathering more money believing the crisis will be short. Read more about the stock market crash of 1929 here. You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period. Warning, some pictures are quite graphic. 

Great Depression of 1929 - part IV

The crisis became worse and living conditions diminished on daily basis. Unemployed parents were having trouble feeding of their children. Not wanting to be a burden, teenagers left home and jumped on trains. So the term “riding the rails” was developed. Since many people could not afford tickets for trains, they would simply try to hop on board. Jumping was illegal and sheer speed of the train made it very hazardous. Guards called Bulls would literally throw people off the train and were even allowed to shoot illegal riders if they did not get off. Some estimates show over 24,640 people were killed trying to jump on trains. Although it was dangerous, people were desperate to travel to find jobs and better lives. Read more about the shame of poverty and unemployment in the Great Depression…You can also watch a short documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, the first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

Great Depression of 1929 - part III

As you can see from the previous posts, the effects of the Great Depression hit the ordinary people extremely hard. With the rise in numbers of homeless and unemployed, feelings like desperation, fear and anger spread throughout the United States. Prior crises would affect mostly city folk, who had invested in Wall Street. Farmers felt secure in 1920s when the economy grew, and planted crops anywhere they could. Most of them felt like price growth could last forever, so the logical thing was to buy more land, thus planting more crops, ergo making more money. As a result, they borrowed money from bankers and fell heavily in debt. To make the matters worse the Dust Bowl effect came. A phenomenon that was caused by severe drought coupled with decades of extensive farming without techniques to prevent wind erosion turned once fertile farms into a desert. Dust storms forced people to leave their homes and banks finished them with foreclosures. To read more about the Great Depression click here.You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

Great Depression of 1929 - II part

During the Great Depression a millions of Americans lost their jobs and their homes and shantytowns dubbed “Hoovervilles” began to spring up throughout the United States. The name was a sign of bitternes toward the President Herbert Clark Hoover, who was blaimed for economic difficulties. Industrial production fell further and with the fall came the massive layoffs. Unemployed would search a job all over the country, migrating from one part to another. Read more about the crisis here.You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.

The Great Depression of 1929

I'm quite sure you already heard about the Great Depression, since it was one of the biggest in our history. Entire world felt the consequences of an economic downturn and the United States economy took a nosedive which lasted almost ten years. It all began with the speculation on Wall Street, where a massive crash took place. Panic spread quickly as the economic conditions got worse. Bank runs and layoffs were a common sight and they are the first topic in the series of Great Depression related pictures. To find out more information about the Great depression of 1929, click here. You can also watch a documentary on Youtube of the ordinary people stories during the crisis, first part covering the circumstances of the Great Depression and the second part showing the hardship and the American culture of the period.