1930s-+Recession

The art in the 1930s changed a lot compared to the art in the 1920s.In 1934 the Federal Art Project was created to help provide work for many of the unemployed artists at the time. Artists chosen for this project were in charge of decorating public buildings and parks. This project worked to privide jobs for artists and to lift the spirits of people effected by the depression. In 1936 finger painting was introduced to America which gave children a cheap, easy way to express themselves. In 1937 the Eduvation Board of the Rockefeller Foundation gave a five year grant to the Museum of Modern Art. This was to be used to showcase the works of children.



The art produced during this time was focused on lightening the mood of the Nation. However, many artists also wanted to capture the feelings of people during this time. Art was used as both a way to lift spirits and a way for people to express how this time of economic expression was hurting our country.

Bree Reese-Controversies and Crisis

The main controversies and crisis’ of this decade were The Dust Bowl and The Great Depression. The Dust Bowl began in 1932 and finally ended in the year 1935. The Dust Bowl was a result of poor farm techniques and the worst drought in the history of America. Dust storms know as “Black Blizzards” contained suffocating amounts of sand and covered everything in sight. By the end of this dusty period in time, over 300,000 square miles of sand were blown away. The lack of resources left farmers in a really bad financial situation and most mid west farmers left home and moved into California. This hurt the economy financially because there wasn’t enough production going on and consumers could not afford a lot anyways. This event played a part in the cause of the Great Depression.





The biggest crisis that took place in the 1930s and probably was the biggest financial crisis f all American history. The Great Depression probably affected the economy more than any other single event in time. Production rates were less than half of what they normally were. Industry got shut down and production was slowed. 60,000 businesses failed by 1931 along with 2,294 banks and there was a 40%-60% cut of salaries almost nationwide. By 1933, 25% of the work force was out of a job and 9 million savings accounts were wiped out. Schools closed, hunger devastated the country, and most people lived in shantytowns. This event left a huge negative impact on the economy by creating a loss of jobs and leaving the country with barley any funds.





__Jobs/Salaries__

The 1930s was the decade that started on January 1, 1930 and ended on December 31. Also known as the “Dirty Thirties”. Much of the decade was in an economic downfall, called The Great Depression. The 30s changed our movies, sports, music, culture, and many other things, but it also impacted the jobs in society and their salaries. The income of the average American family was reduced by 40% from $2,300 to $1,500. The unemployment rate rises to 25%. Those that did have jobs worked long hours for low wages. More than half of all employed women worked for more than fifty hours a week. More than 1/5 of those women worked for more than 55 hours! The average salary was $1,368, but for women their annual pay was usually around $525. Not only that, but women who did work faced social criticism because of “Taking jobs away from men” in the economy; saying “Their place is at home.” The government made it hard for women to get high paying professional or clerical jobs. Although women faced poor working conditions, so did men. Men either lost their job, or their wages was too low to support their families. This took a toll on the economy, and so unemployment and low paying jobs made the depression worse.

Many strived to compete in the world of jobs and work, and many failed. The economy wasn’t in a good state, making it impossible for people to join the work force. Numerous companies were not hiring much, if not at all. In fact they were firing. The 1930s was really known for its income of inequality among society, and also arguments about whether women should work or not. Some women wanted to avoid the critics and decided to remain single. They were expected to if they wanted to commit into a career in social reform, academic life, or a profession Movies

Despite the troubles of the economy, the movie industry of the 1930s was a safe haven for American citizens. Naturally, the attendance rate dropped due to money being tight, so theaters had to come up with gimmicks to draw people in. Americans viewed the movies of the 30s as an escape from their economic troubles. To play on that sense, studios made movies with happy endings and shear optimism that a little man can stand up to corruption and restore the state of America. Movies were also able to portray bank robbers as heroes at the time, because people hated banks for taking their money. Screwball comedies also made a debut with plot lines like a rich heiress marrying a poor working class man. Those stories kept people's optimism in a bright future no matter how far-fetched they were. Although the big studios of Hollywood were near bankruptcy during this time, they still managed to entertain the American population.

In the darkest times of the Depression, 60-80 million people would go to the movies per week. That kind of attendance is what made the highest grossing movie of all time in 1939. //Gone With the Wind// earned over $400 million at the time, which is equivalent to over $6.6 billion today. People then were trying to imagine themselves in a simpler time where life was all fun and parties like Scarlett O'Hara had. For Americans at the time, movies could provide a temporary escape from the real world, which is what made them so popular in a time of crisis.



Sammi Crabill- Home Life/ Housing

The 1930s was a mixed time. While millions of people were starving from the Great Depression, many others were lounging in the comforts of “modern life”. The economy had plummeted from the 1920s, leaving many people completely destitute, waiting in lines for food and scrounging on the streets for clothing and goods as their parents lost their jobs. For these people, home life meant a hard and stressful life, much different than the roaring twenties just a few years previous.

On the other hand, some families, whose parents kept stable jobs, lived comfortably, enjoying their new toys that they had acquired and even discovering new things to make their life easier, such as movies in cinemas. Movies from Shirley Temple to Disney dominated the big screen. Adults were surely stressed as the thoughts of losing their jobs and the idea of the war in Europe hung over their head. But they forged forward, fighting to make life comfortable for their families and looking forward to the dat that the Great Depression would be over.



Politics/Reform 1930s

The 1930s were a time of the most drastic economic freefall in American history. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected in 1933, and given arguably the most daunting task a President had yet to face. Roosevelt, however, came in to this situation with a proposal called the “New Deal”. After being inaugurated on a Friday, the following Monday Roosevelt submitted his “Emergency Banking Act” to Congress and ordered a banking holiday be taken for four days. Money was given to the banks to try to stimulate the economy and the Glass-Steagall Act was passed to separate the banks from investments. This way, people would not lose their investments if the banks failed again like they had in the past. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was introduced to insure all deposits made into the banking system. The new Securities and Exchange Commission also regulated the Stock Market. All in all, FDR is regarded as one of the greatest Presidents ever in office because he responded positively to the Great Depression without making drastic changes.

=__**Music**__=

Between 1929 and 1932 the income of the average American family was reduced by 40%, from $2,300 to $1,500. In this time of need and desperation, music and dance were outlets that many people turned to for a pick up. Many new singers and songwriters emerged this decade. Jazz has been popular and was made into a more “swing type.” Also many artists who were described as having a sweet sound, turned more aggressive and almost dark. Which could easily be traced to the Depression. Even though the depression had a hold on everyone’s wallets, newer inventions and technologies for musical production were slowly making their way out and emerging.

Madison Allison- Sports

The 1920s were known as the Golden Age. In the 1930s this age ended. The economy was great and sports were a huge player in entertainment. The Depression hit the United States in the 1930s and this affected the economy and sports terrifically. Baseball players salaries were dropped to $36,000-$41,000 a year; and some took a toll of loosing 10,000$ out of their paychecks. The NFL in the 1920s had 12 football teams, and by the beginning of the 1930s they only had six due to low payment. In 1932 the winter Olympics were talked to be post-poned due to such a low economy. Attendance to every sporting event dropped.

To raise the attendance of sporting events, games were being more advertised and commercialized. Many sports were introducing new events to try and attract more crowds. Such as horse racing introducing the daily double. Radio was introduced in the 1930s, which started to raise attention in sports. Due to the low attendance night games were started. Many famous athletes rose in the 1930s such as Babe Ruth. The average rate of increase in franchise sales went down from 5.7 in the 1920s to a -4.1. A baseball ticket price cost about 50 cents. Compared to the 2000s when you can pay up to 100.00$ for a sporting event ticket. Due to the Depression the economy and sports were affected tremendously.

Paige Benjamin-Fashion The 1930s were definitely quite different from the 1920s and the economic prosperity that went along with the time. The depression demolished the economy, taking people’s style and hope down with it. With about 25% of people unemployed, fashion was surely the least of everyone’s worries. Low incomes made it virtually impossible to afford what many had been able to purchase before. Outfits were drab and depressing, much like the time. It was a far cry from the vibrant, fun outfits that were popular less than a decade earlier. The jazz era began to slip away and flappers soon became a distant memory. Factories had few workers, little profit, and not enough money to create quality merchandise. Therefore, quality clothing and extravangant accessories were at an all time low.

As for fashion trends of the time, focus turned away from pearls and feathers and more towards hats. Button-up jackets and long dresses were also quite popular. Colors were typically neutral or earth-toned, most likely mimicking the bland, hopeless feelings of the time. Since the economy suffered, fashion suffered—and since fashion suffered, the economy had nothing to boost its conditions. It was a continuous chain reaction.