1930's

Introduction The 1930’s, known as the Great Depression Era, were a time of economic struggles for the American People. The United States Government was faced with multiple issues, having an economic depression at home, and trying to avoid getting involved with foreign affairs going on in Europe. Although it was a time of difficulty, a lot of good came out of this era. Inventions would make life easier, and there was a rise in entertainment as the movie industry grew, and great novels depicted the problems faced during the depression. The 1930’s were an important decade in American History because it would change the way that people lived, and how we still live today.
Government and Politics In the thirties, the United States Government spent a majority of its time trying to get the country out of the economic depression that it was in. During this decade, there were two presidents; Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Herbert Hoover’s presidency was plagued by the stock market crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, which lasted through the thirties. Hoover never fully recovered his credibility with the American people after he was unable to cope with the economic crisis. The depression, however, obscured the accomplishments of Hoover, which included the construction of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. In the presidential election of 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover, who was running for a second term in office. Roosevelt was elected president in a time of a national issue, and responded by putting many different policies in place to help make American’s lives easier and to jumpstart the economy. He would also try to speak directly to American people through fireside chats, which were broadcasted nationally over the radio. During these chats, he would be optimistic yet realistic, unlike Herbert Hoover, who many people saw as unrealistic. After his inauguration in March 1933, the newly elected