Topic 13

Chapter 25 Section 1
The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Causes of the Depression
Objectives
• Discuss the weaknesses in the economy
of the 1920s.
• Explain how the stock market crash
contributed to the coming of the Great
Depression.
• Describe how the Great Depression spread
overseas.

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Terms and People
• Herbert Hoover – former Secretary of Commerce
and Republican candidate for President in 1928
• speculation – when investors gamble that stock
prices will rise
• Black Tuesday – October 24, 1929, the day the
stock market crashed
• business cycle – periodic expansion and
contraction of the economy

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Terms and People (continued)
• Great Depression – The collapse of the United
States and world economies beginning in 1929
• Hawley-Smoot Tariff – high protective tariff
passed in June 1930 that contributed to a
worldwide depression

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How did the prosperity of the 1920s
give way to the Great Depression?
During the 1920s, many Americans enjoyed what
seemed like an endless era of prosperity. But in
1929, the stock market crashed. Production fell,
unemployment rose, and the economy went into
a period of dramatic decline.
Years after the Great Depression began, periodic
contraction was seen as part of the business cycle.

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The Republicans took
credit for the strong
economy.
Their presidential
candidate was Herbert
Hoover.
He believed in voluntary
cooperation between
business and labor.
In the 1928
presidential
race, the
Republican
Party was
confident.

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Farmers could
not afford to
buy goods or
repay their
loans.
The agricultural sector
was in trouble. Rural
farmers produced huge
surpluses of food that
depressed prices.
Despite Hoover’s confidence, some saw
signs of weakness in the economy.

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Easy credit and installment buying lead people
to purchase goods they can’t pay for.
By 1929, Americans
racked up more than
$6 billion in personal
debt — more than
double the 1921 level.

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Rising wages masked an uneven distribution of
wealth.
While factory workers’
wages rose 8%, factory
output increased by 32%.
As a result, worker
incomes rose modestly,
while rich investor
incomes skyrocketed.

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Until September 1929, the stock market
continued to rise.
Many people borrowed money
to buy stock, assuming prices
would continue to go up.
Some economists feared that
stocks were over-priced.

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On October 29th
, the stock market went into a
free fall as investors tried to sell at any price.
Many who bought stocks
on margin were wiped out.
Billions of dollars were lost
in a few hours.
16 million shares were sold
on “Black Tuesday.”

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• In growth periods,
workers are hired, wages
rise, and demand for
products increases.
• In contraction periods,
workers are fired, wages
drop, and demand for
products falls.
The Great Crash
was a hallmark
of the nation’s
business cycle.
The economy
periodically
grows and then
contracts.

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The stock market crash didn’t start the Great
Depression by itself. Instead, it quickened the
collapse of the U.S. economy.

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The banking system feels the effects of the crash
first. People fear that their money will be lost so
they run to the bank and attempt to withdraw their
funds.
But banks don’t
have enough of their
money on hand as
cash. These bank
runs cause banks
to fail.

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• Factories closed, causing
worker layoffs.
• This lowered demand for
goods.
• By 1933, the
unemployment rate
reached 25%.

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The resulting drop
in world trade only
made the glut of
American factory
and farm products
harder to sell.
The strategy was
a mistake. Other
nations retaliated
and raised tariffs
as well.
Congress passed the Hawley-Smoot Tariff
to protect American manufacturers from
foreign competition.

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As international trade falls, a global drop in
business leads to a worldwide depression.

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There were several causes of the Great
Depression. There is still disagreement over
which are most important.
Each of the
following
contributed to
dangerous
economic
conditions:
hardships in Europe
and rural America
uneven distribution
of wealth
speculation in the stock
market
increased personal debt

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• Examine the spread of unemployment in
America’s cities.
• Discuss the impact of the Great Depression
on rural America.
• Explain the human and geographical factors
that created the Dust Bowl.
Objectives

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Terms and People
• bread line – where charities or local agencies gave
food to the poor
• Hoovervilles – shantytowns set up on empty land
in cities and named after the President
• tenant farmers – rural farmers who lost their land
but stayed on to work for larger landowners
• Dust Bowl – millions of acres in the Great Plains
that were destroyed when dust storms blew away
the soil

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• Okies – Great Plains farmers forced off their land
by the Dust Bowl
• repatriation – policy whereby local, state, and
federal governments encouraged or coerced
Mexican immigrants – some of them U.S. citizens
– to return to Mexico

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How did the Great Depression affect the
lives of urban and rural Americans?
The stock market crash signaled the end of boom
times and the economy staggered into the Great
Depression. Desperate poverty gripped the
nation leaving a permanent impression on those
who lived through it.
Tested by extreme hardship, this generation
forged a strong character and will to restore
prosperity.

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Between 1921–1929,
the unemployment
rate never rose above
4%. By 1933,
however, it was near
25%.
Those who managed
to keep their jobs
had their wages and
hours cut.
Few Americans
understood
the causes
of the Great
Depression, but
everyone felt the
impact.

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For many, the only food
available came from public
soup kitchens or bread
lines run by charitable
organizations.
People sold their property
to buy food.

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The homeless lived in empty railroad cars, in
cardboard boxes, or in shacks built on public
land or empty lots.
Hoovervilles
appeared in
major cities
across the
country.

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Bankers sold the
land and equipment
at auction. Some
farmers became
tenant farmers,
working for bigger
landowners. Others
decided to leave in
search of work
elsewhere in the
U.S.
Between 1930
and 1934, nearly
a million farmers
lost their farms,
homes, and farm
equipment
because they
could not pay
their mortgages.

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The remaining
farmers on the
Great Plains
suffered a terrible
drought, which led
to the Dust Bowl.
Dust storms
destroyed
millions of acres
of farmland.

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• Farmers had dug up thick prairie grasses to plant
wheat so there was nothing to hold the soil in place.
• 100 mile-per-hour winds blew dust clouds 8,000 feet
tall in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
• Wildlife and farm animals suffocated in the choking
winds.
Millions of tons of topsoil were blown away
in giant dust storms.

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In old trucks, they moved
west or to northern cities.
800,000 Okies left Texas,
Oklahoma, Missouri, and
Arkansas alone. Rural
states lost population
during the 1930s.
Those who could afford
it bought distressed
neighbors’ farms at low
prices to build expanded
commercial farms.
Farmers who
had lost their
land, called
Okies regardless
of where they
were from, were
forced to leave.

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Family life was hurt by the Great Depression.
Some teens ran away and families broke up.
America’s birthrate fell to its lowest level
on record.
Those who were still working felt guilty because
friends and relatives were unemployed.
Those who still had jobs lived in fear that their
next paycheck would be their last.

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Minorities suffered even more
during the depression.
• As Okies moved west to
find work, Mexicans and
Mexican Americans faced
fierce competition for jobs.
• Local governments urged
repatriation for Mexican
Americans.
• Even in good times,
African Americans were
“last hired and first fired.”
• Many were thrown off
southern farms where they
were sharecroppers.

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• Discuss how Hoover’s initial conservative
response to the depression failed.
• Explain the changes in the President’s policies
as the crisis continued.
• Describe how Americans reacted to Hoover’s
relief programs.
Objectives

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Terms and People
• localism – policy whereby problems are best
solved at the state and local level and not by the
federal government
• Reconstruction Finance Corporation – created
in 1932 to lend cash to investors to stimulate the
economy
• trickle-down economics – economic theory that
held that money lent to large banks and
corporations would in turn be invested in small
businesses which would hire more workers

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Terms and People (Continued)
• Hoover Dam – huge public works project on
the Colorado River that provided jobs, water for
irrigation, and power
• Bonus Army – a march on Washington in 1932
in which World War I veterans seek bonus
payment early
• Douglas MacArthur – supervised the forced
removal of the Bonus Army, which angered many
Americans

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Why did Herbert Hoover’s policies fail to
solve the country’s economic crisis?
As the Great Depression spread misery across
America, Herbert Hoover struggled unsuccessfully
to respond to the nation’s problems.
As a result of Hoover’s failed response, in 1932
Americans would turn to a new leader and
increased government intervention to stop the
depression.

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Herbert Hoover did not cause the
Great Depression, but Americans
looked to him to solve the crisis.
He tried a number of different
approaches, but in the end he
failed to discover the right
formula for stopping the crisis.

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Like most economists
of the day, he believed
that up and down
swings in the economy
were a natural part of
the business cycle.
It was thought that
strong businesses
would weather storms
without the support
of the government.
At the start of
the economic
downturn,
Hoover took a
hands-off
approach.

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Asked
businesses to
keep wages,
employment,
and prices at
current levels
Called for
tax cuts,
lower
interest
rates, and
public works
Asked
wealthy to
donate more
money to
charity
Hoover saw that he must do something:

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But volunteerism failed:
• Towns and states
didn’t have the
necessary resources
to deal with the
depression.
• Hoover did not
support direct federal
aid to individuals.
Hoover put his faith
in localism, a
policy whereby
problems are best
solved at the local
and state levels.

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The RFC gave billions
of dollars to banks and
large businesses.
The idea was that they
would lend to, and
invest in, struggling
businesses who would
hire workers and thus
end the depression.
The RFC failed when
businesses did not
hire more workers.
In 1932, Hoover
urged Congress to
create the
Reconstruction
Finance
Corporation (RFC).
The RFC employed a
policy known as
trickle down
economics.

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One policy that did succeed
was the construction of
Boulder Dam (later
renamed Hoover Dam)
across the Colorado River.
Started in 1930, the huge dam
provided power for millions and
irrigation for farm land, and
put thousands to work.

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• Some blamed Hoover and some blamed capitalism.
• Some were World War I veterans who wanted a
bonus that was promised to them.
• In 1932, those veterans formed the Bonus Army and
marched on Washington.
Many grew disillusioned during the
Great Depression.

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Hoover ordered
General Douglas
MacArthur to remove
the veterans. He used
tear gas, cavalry,
tanks, and troops
with fixed bayonets.
Press photos of troops
using excessive force
angered the American
public.
20,000 veterans
set up camps and
occupied vacant
buildings. In
July, police tried
to evict them and
riots erupted.

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The eviction of the
Bonus Army doomed
Hoover’s bid for re-
election.
Americans were ready
for new leadership and
a greater role for the
government in solving
problems.

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• Analyze the impact Franklin D. Roosevelt
had on the American people after becoming
President.
• Describe the programs that were part of
the first New Deal and their immediate
impact.
• Identify critical responses to the New Deal.
Objectives

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Terms and People
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – American President
elected at the height of the Great Depression
• Eleanor Roosevelt – FDR’s wife and First Lady;
known for her active role in the administration
• New Deal – programs and legislation enacted by
FDR during the Great Depression to promote
economic recovery
• fireside chat – informal radio broadcast in which
FDR communicated with the American people
• FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation;
government agency that insures bank deposits

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• TVA – Tennessee Valley Authority; government
agency that built dams in the Tennessee River
valley to control floods and generate electric power
• CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps; government
program that provided young men with jobs on
environmental conservation projects
• NRA – National Recovery Administration;
government agency that developed codes of fair
competition in industry, including minimum wages
and prices

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• PWA – Public Works Administration; government
agency that improved the nation’s infrastructure
and created millions of jobs
• Charles Coughlin – Roman Catholic priest who
accused FDR of not doing enough to end the
depression
• Huey Long – Louisiana Senator and New Deal
critic

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How did the New Deal attempt to
address the problems of the
depression?
As poverty and homelessness gripped the
country, many Americans wondered if the
nation could survive the crisis.
They hoped a new leader could bring back
prosperity—and their faith in democracy.

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Americans
were ready
for a
change.
In 1932, President Hoover ran for reelection.
But he had little chance of winning.
• Unemployment stood at 25%.
• Bank failures had wiped out
savings.
• The hungry waited for food at
soup kitchens.

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Hoover’s opponent in the election
was Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Harvard graduate
• New York State senator
• Assistant Secretary of the
Navy
• 1920 Nominee for Vice
President
• Polio survivor
• Governor of New York

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The two candidates offered very different approaches
to the problems of the Great Depression.
Hoover
State and local
governments
and private
agencies should
provide relief.
Roosevelt
Leadership
should come
from the
federal
government.
Roosevelt won in a landslide.

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Together with his “Brain Trust,” Roosevelt
moved quickly to carry out his promise of
giving Americans a New Deal.
The legislation
had three goals:
relief, recovery, and reform.
During his first
100 days in
office, 15 bills
were passed.
First New Deal

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Roosevelt began with the bank crisis.
FDR declared a four-day bank holiday, closing the
banks so they could get their accounts in order.
In the first of many fireside chats, FDR explained
that his actions were to halt bank failures.
When the banks reopened, there were no
more runs on the banks.

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FDR took other steps to reform the financial
system.
Insured bank deposits
Federal Deposit
Insurance
Corporation (FDIC)
Securities and
Exchange
Commission (SEC)
Regulated the stock
market
Such measures helped restore confidence in the
economy.

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Roosevelt then turned to a series of New
Deal programs to bring relief to the country.
• The AAA sought to end
overproduction and
raise crop prices.
• The TVA built dams to
control floods and
generate electricity.
Some programs helped
farmers and those in the
rural South.

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Many programs focused on job relief.
Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC)
Put young men to work
improving national parks,
forests, and wilderness areas
Federal Emergency
Relief Agency (FERA)
Granted funds to state and local
agencies to helped the
unemployed
Civil Works
Administration (CWA)
Gave people jobs on public-
works projects

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The Public Works Administration (PWA)
created millions of jobs.
Workers built
bridges, dams,
power plants,
and government
buildings.
These projects
improved the
nation’s
infrastructure.

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Roosevelt also took steps to speed
economic recovery.
National
Recovery
Administration
(NRA)
• Established codes
of fair competition
• Set minimum
wages for workers
and minimum
prices for goods

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Not everyone, however,
supported the New Deal.
Conservatives charged that it
was making the government too
powerful.
• Destroying free enterprise
• Undermining individualism
Such critics
formed the
American Liberty
League.

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While
conservatives
thought the New
Deal did too
much, others
took the opposite
position.
Some argued that
the New Deal did
not do enough to
end the depression.
• Socialist Party
• American
Communist Party

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The opponents
who gained the
largest audience
were Populist
critics.
Dr. Francis
Townsend
Proposed giving each
person 60 or older $200
a month to spend
Father
Charles
Coughlin
Used his radio show to
attack the New Deal,
calling it communist
Senator
Huey Long
Proposed a “Share Our
Wealth” program that
taxed the rich and gave
money to the poor

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Despite the critics, the
New Deal was popular
with most Americans.
In his inaugural address,
Roosevelt told Americans,
“the only thing we have to
fear is fear itself.”
FDR succeeded in reducing
people’s fear, but the
depression was far from over.

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• Discuss the programs of social and economic
reforms in the second New Deal.
• Explain how New Deal legislation affected the
growth of organized labor.
• Describe the impact of Roosevelt’s court-packing
plan on the course of the New Deal.
Objectives

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Terms and People
• second New Deal – legislative activity begun by
FDR in 1935 to solve problems created by the Great
Depression
• WPA – Works Progress Administration; agency that
provided job relief through public-works projects
• John Maynard Keynes – British economist who
supported the policy of deficit spending to help end
the depression
• pump priming – economic theory that favored
public-works projects because they put money in
the hands of consumers who would buy more
goods, stimulating the economy

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• Social Security Act – 1935 law that created a
pension system for retirees, established
unemployment insurance, created insurance for
victims of work-related accidents, and provided aid
for poverty-stricken mothers and children, the
blind, and the disabled
• Wagner Act – law that recognized the right of
employees to join labor unions and gave workers
the right to collective bargaining
• collective bargaining – process in which
employers negotiate with labor unions about
hours, wages, and other working conditions

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• Fair Labor Standards Act – law that set a
minimum wage and a maximum workweek and
outlawed child labor
• CIO – Congress of Industrial Organizations; labor
organization founded in the 1930s that
represented industrial workers
• sit-down strike – labor protest in which workers
stop working and occupy the workplace until their
demands are met
• court packing – FDR plan to add more justices to
the Supreme Court after the Court ruled some
New Deal legislation unconstitutional

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What major issues did the second New
Deal address?
As depression continued to grip the nation,
Roosevelt continued to search for solutions.
Many of the New Deal programs created by
FDR continue to impact Americans today.

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Though progress had been made toward easing the
problems of the Great Depression, Roosevelt knew
that much work still needed to be done.
In 1935, FDR
launched a new
campaign to
help meet the
goals of relief,
recovery, and
reform.
The second New Deal

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As FDR planned a new round of spending,
critics charged that New Deal programs, and
their high price tags, were wasteful.
• The government was spending
money it did not have.
• The federal deficit had soared to
$4.4 billion.

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• Public-works projects put
money in the hands of
consumers.
• Consumer spending would
stimulate the economy.
• Deficit spending was
needed to end the
depression.
Economists
such as John
Maynard
Keynes
disagreed.
Deficit spending continued under the second New Deal.

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The Works Progress Administration
(WPA) created millions of jobs on
public-works projects.
• Workers built highways and public
buildings, dredged rivers and harbors, and
promoted soil and water conservation.
• Artists were hired to enhance public spaces.

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The Social Security Act
created a pension system
for retirees.
It also provided:
• unemployment insurance
• insurance for victims of
work-related accidents
• aid for poverty-stricken
mothers and children, the
blind, and the disabled

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Such benefits helped reduce poverty among the
nation’s elderly.

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The government continued to give aid to farmers.
The government
provided price supports
for agriculture.
The Rural Electrification
Administration helped
bring power to isolated
rural areas.

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The government also funded irrigation systems,
dams, and other water projects in the West.
Construction of a
Dam, a mural by
WPA artist
William Gropper,
was a tribute to
workers on
western dams.

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Roosevelt believed that improving the
standard of living for industrial workers
would benefit the entire economy.
Wagner Act
Fair Labor Standards Act
• Recognized the right of
workers to join labor unions
• Gave workers the right to
collective bargaining
• Set a minimum
wage and maximum
workweek
• Outlawed child labor

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As union activity rose, a split emerged in the
American Federation of Labor.
The AFL
represented
skilled
workers who
joined craft
or trade
unions.
The union
made little
effort to
organize
workers in
the major
industries.
John L. Lewis
formed the
Congress of
Industrial
Organizations
(CIO) to
unionize
industrial
workers.

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In 1936, the CIO’s United Auto Workers Union staged
a sit-down strike at General Motors.
This success led to
others, and union
membership soared.
After 44 days, GM
recognized the new
union.

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• In 1937, FDR proposed adding up to six new
Justices to the Court.
• Critics attacked his court-packing plan as an
attempt to expand presidential power.
• The failed plan weakened Roosevelt politically.
After an overwhelming reelection victory, FDR
decided to fight back against the Supreme Court,
which had struck down many of his programs.

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The combination caused the
economy to sink again, and
unemployment soared.
After the economy had begun to improve in 1935 and
1936, FDR cut back on government spending to reduce
the deficit. At the same time, interest rates rose.
With his support wavering,
FDR did not try to push
further reforms through
Congress.

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Effects of the New Deal
Objectives
• Describe how the New Deal affected different
groups in American society.
• Analyze how the New Deal changed the
shape of American party politics.
• Discuss the impact of Franklin D. Roosevelt
on the presidency.

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Terms and People
● Black Cabinet – African American leaders who
served as unofficial advisers to FDR
● Mary McLeod Bethune – educator and member
of FDR’s Black Cabinet
● Indian New Deal – program that gave Native
Americans economic assistance and greater
control over their own affairs
● New Deal coalition – diverse group of southern
whites, northern blue-collar workers, midwestern
farmers, and African Americans that united behind
FDR and the New Deal

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● welfare state – government that assumes
responsibility for providing for the welfare of
children and the poor, elderly, sick, disabled, and
unemployed

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How did the New Deal change the social,
economic, and political landscape of the
United States for future generations?
The New Deal affected people of many different
backgrounds and ways of life.
It also brought fundamental changes to the role
of the federal government.

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Eleanor Roosevelt inspired many women in
her leadership role during the New Deal.
• Transformed the role of
First Lady from ceremonial
to political activist
• Traveled widely
• Campaigned for FDR
• Offered policy advice
• Wrote a newspaper column

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Other women also played important roles in the
administration, such as Secretary of Labor
Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet member.
However, the
New Deal did
not fight to
end gender
discrimination
in the
workplace.
• The WPA and other
agencies made an
effort to employ men
first.
• Women could not work
for the CCC.

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• The unemployment rate
for African Americans
was nearly 50%.
• Many people urged FDR
to help end racial
discrimination.
African Americans
were hit
especially hard by
the depression.
Roosevelt asked advice of members of his Black
Cabinet, such as Mary McLeod Bethune.

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• Farm subsidies led
landowners to evict
sharecroppers.
• African Americans often did
not receive equal wages.
• Domestic and farm workers
were exempted from New
Deal programs.
Some New Deal
measures
unintentionally
hurt African
Americans.
But he did not always listen. FDR refused to support
an antilynching law, fearing political fallout.

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The New Deal’s Commissioner of Indian
Affairs, John Collier, tried to improve
living conditions for Native Americans.
The Indian New Deal:
• Provided funds to
build schools and
hospitals
• Created an Indian
Civilian Conservation
Corps
The Bureau of
Indian Affairs
encouraged native
religions,
languages, and
customs.

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The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 was
considered the centerpiece of the Indian New Deal.
This law restored tribal control over native lands.

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Roosevelt and the New Deal united diverse
groups of Americans into a political powerhouse.
The New Deal coalition
included southern whites,
northern blue-collar
workers, midwestern
farmers, and African
Americans.
Democrats were now in
the majority.

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• Social and ethnic divisions diminished.
• Immigrant communities gained a greater
sense of belonging.
• Programs such as the WPA and CCC allowed
people of different backgrounds to get to
know one another.
Roosevelt’s New Deal programs also helped
unify a struggling nation.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
With the New Deal, FDR broke from the
tradition of laissez-faire and greatly
expanded the role of government.
New Deal
measures
strengthened
capitalism and
encouraged the
post-WWII
economic
boom.
• Restored trust in the
banks and the stock
market
• Increased homeownership
• Protected workers
• Helped modernize rural
America

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Thousands of WPA and PWA projects benefited
communities—and local economies—across the country.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
In a major policy
change, the New Deal
established the
principle that the
federal government was
responsible for the
welfare of all
Americans.
At the same time, the New Deal led to the rise of
the welfare state.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
• The government established
12 million acres of new
national parks.
• The CCC restored forests and
preserved the environment.
FDR also favored federal
action to protect the
environment.
Despite its benefits, the TVA had a mixed
environmental impact, disrupting natural habitats.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Finally, FDR and the New Deal changed the nature
of the presidency itself.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Objectives
• Trace the growth of radio and the movies in
the 1930s and the changes in popular culture.
• Describe the major themes of literature in the
New Deal era.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Terms and People
• The Wizard of Oz – popular depression-era film
that promised dreams really can come true
• Frank Capra – director whose films celebrated
American idealism and the triumph of the common
man over adversity
• War of the Worlds – 1938 radio drama that was
so realistic many people feared that Martians were
actually invading
• Federal Art Project – branch of the WPA that
hired artists to create artworks for public buildings

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Terms and People (Continued)
• mural – large picture painted directly on a wall or
ceiling
• Dorothea Lange – FSA photographer who helped
document the plight of America’s farmers
• John Steinbeck – author whose depression-era
classic The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of a
family trying to escape the Dust Bowl
• Lillian Hellman – playwright whose works
featured strong roles for women and socially
conscious subject matter

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
How did the men and women of the
depression find relief from their
hardships in the popular culture?
Entertainment helped Americans struggling
to survive the depression escape their
worries—at least for a time.
Federal support for the arts added to the
era’s rich cultural heritage.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Entertainment was
big business during
the 1930s.
Movies, radio, and music
reflected the mood of the
country.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Most Americans went to the movies to
escape their worries.
• The Wizard of Oz
• Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs
• Frankenstein
• Top Hat
• Gone with the Wind

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
In the early 1930s, gangster films such as Public Enemy
reflected the public’s distrust of government.
As the New Deal restored confidence, films such as
G-Men began portraying government officials as heroes.
Director Frank Capra focused on the triumph of
the common man over adversity in such films as
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
• Radio networks such
as NBC and CBS
entertained millions.
• People listened to
comedy, drama,
news, and FDR’s
fireside chats.
Radio was a vital part of everyday life.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Orson Welles’ 1938 radio
drama War of the
Worlds was so realistic
that it caused a national
panic when listeners
thought that Martians
were invading.
Radio disc jockeys played
the latest tunes on shows
like Your Hit Parade and
Make Believe Ballroom.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Music provided a happy diversion and a
serious outlet for social concerns.
“Swing” music played
by “big bands” topped
the charts.
Latin music and
dances like the rumba
and the samba were
popular.
The folk singer
Leadbelly described
the harsh lives of
African Americans.
Woodie Guthrie wrote
ballads about the
Dust Bowl and the
Okies.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
During the New Deal, the federal government
provided funding for the arts for the first
time in history.
The Federal Art Project, Federal Writers’
Project, and Federal Theater Project were all
funded by the WPA.
WPA writers created a series
of state guidebooks that
recorded the nation’s history
and folklore.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Artists painted giant
murals in public
buildings across the
nation.
Photographers like
Dorothea Lange
created powerful
images of
impoverished
farmers and
migrant workers.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
This led to a drop
in congressional
funding.
Critics charged
that the Federal
Art programs were
promoting radical
or communist
views.
Though its funding was cut, the Federal Art
programs set a precedent for future funding of
the arts and humanities.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
Depression-era writers reflected the concerns
of Americans from all walks of life.
In The Grapes
of Wrath, John
Steinbeck told
the story of an
Okie family
escaping the
Dust Bowl.
Lillian
Hellman
portrayed
strong women
in her plays.
In Native Son,
Richard Wright
explored racial
prejudice.

The Cold War Begins
Section 1
POW!POW!
Comic strips and comic books also were
very popular.
• Flash Gordon
• Dick Tracy
• Superman
Science Fiction
Detective Story
The first great
superhero comic

Topic 13

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Topic 13