Causes and Consequences of the Great Depression and World War II

Flashcards focusing on key terms and definitions related to the Great Depression and significant events leading up to World War II.

Causes of the Great Depression

Economic factors including reduced agricultural demand, high tariffs, easy access to credit, and unequal wealth distribution.

Hawley-Smoot Tariff

A tariff that raised import duties, leading to retaliatory tariffs from other countries and worsening the economic situation.

Buying on Margin

Purchasing securities by borrowing money, which contributed to financial ruin during the Great Depression.

Black Tuesday

Date of the stock market crash that triggered the Great Depression, resulting in thousands of bank closures and business bankruptcies.

Shantytowns

Communities made of homeless individuals living in makeshift homes, also known as 'Hoovervilles'.

Dust Bowl

Severe dust storms in the 1930s that devastated agriculture and displaced many families in the Great Plains.

New Deal

A series of reforms implemented by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s to address the Great Depression.

RRR

Relief, Recovery, Reform; the three main goals of the New Deal.

Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady and advocate for women's rights and civil rights during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency.

Wagner Act

Legislation that granted rights to private-sector employees to form unions and strike.

Fair Labor Standards Act

An act that established minimum wage and maximum working hours, protecting children from labor exploitation.

Social Security Act

Legislation that created social security numbers and provided unemployment insurance for citizens.

Neutrality Acts

A series of laws aimed at keeping the United States neutral in foreign conflicts during the 1930s.

Atlantic Charter

A framework for post-war international cooperation agreed upon by FDR and Winston Churchill.

Pearl Harbor

The surprise military attack by Japan on December 7, 1941, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.