Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office in 1933 and he introduced many new policies during the first 100 days as President. Before he came into office, people were in a very bad state because of the Stock Market Crash in 1929. The president prior to him was Herbert Hoover who believed the crisis was just "a passing incident in our national lives" and that it wasn't the governments job to resolve the problems. Roosevelt tried to "stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering." During Roosevelt's 8 years in office he was able to make a difference. He introduced the New Deal which "aimed to restore some measure of dignity and prosperity to many Americans." It was a series of social, economic and governmental reforms. Since America was in such a bad state it shows that the New Deal helped shape American society and American attitudes.
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In my opinion the main causes for the stock market crash was overproduction and underconsumption of consumer goods and farm products. In addition, the widening gap between the rich and the poor; there was an uneven distribution of income because the wealth was not being shared fairly.
In the stock market game we played, it was exciting to make money. I found that the stocks continued to increase at a steady pace which resulted in me having no idea when it was going to crash. When the stocks were going up I found it easier to trade because I had more confidence in the game. However when it crashed I was not prepared. I knew that I was in trouble because of the things I put my money into. From playing the game I realize to a small extent how the people felt in 1920 when the stock market crashed. I ended up owing the bank $39,000 which was not a good feeling. When the stock market crashed in 1929 it left millions in debt, which also changed so many people lives. They no longer had extravagant lives but lived poorly. There were many social changes that occurred during the 1920's in the USA. The changes had to do with the way people lived during that time and they occurred because of political and economic factors. It was a happy time for many because the war ended and the war veterans went home. In addition women were given more opportunities to work and war veterans were given other jobs or a chance for an education. These opportunities began to boost the economy. There was more money being made which meant people had more money to spend on goods and the stock market. Due to all the money, peoples lives became more extravagant. They were able to purchase bigger houses, fancier cars etc.. Not only were they able to buy many new things, their social lives changed. There was lots of partying, drinking and dancing. The women and men were dressing in suits, and fancy dresses. In conclusion the 1920s became a decade to remember because of all the social changes that occurred in the USA.
Personally I really enjoyed this movie for a number of reasons. One of my hobbies is boxing, so watching movies based on that is very interesting for me. This movie did not only focus on the boxing component but also the way people lived during the 1920's in the USA through to the great depression. From watching this movie I now have a better understanding of the hardships the families had to go through during that time, along with the way people were treated. A few of the scenes went more in depth than others; for instance when they all the houses and building were on fire and people were killed due to outrage, in addition when Braddock went to ask for money from his former friends. Both those scenes displayed how desperate people were in that time to stay alive. I enjoyed how this movie used boxing to bring the message across and captivate the watchers. For me, if there was no boxing component to it I definitely would not have enjoyed it as much. I felt as if the movie did a great job of connecting the viewer to the people/actors. It seemed like I was there in the USA during the great depression, especially in the last scene when the final fight was happening. |