World War I to Great Depression Study Guide

Total Points: 25

Types of Questions: Matching, Checkbox, Multiple Choice, Short Answer

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The Great Depression Overview

🔹 Unemployment Data

At the peak of the Great Depression, 25% of Americans were unemployed.

Millions of people lost their jobs, homes, farms, and savings.

Bread lines and soup kitchens became common in cities.

🔹 Cycle of Depression

A vicious economic cycle that worsened conditions:

1. Businesses fail →

2. People lose jobs →

3. People spend less →

4. More businesses fail → Cycle repeats.

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🌾 Dust Bowl (1930s)

A severe drought affected the Great Plains (including states like Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas).

Massive dust storms made farming impossible; crops and soil were destroyed.

Thousands of families, often called "Okies", migrated west to places like California in search of work and better living conditions.

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🛠 The New Deal – Purpose & Goals

🔹 What Was It?

A series of programs and laws started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) to address the problems of the Great Depression.

🔹 The Three R’s:

1. Relief – Help for the unemployed and poor.

2. Recovery – Rebuilding the economy and getting people back to work.

3. Reform – Changes to prevent future depressions and economic failure.

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🔤 Alphabet Soup – New Deal Agencies

Nickname for all the New Deal programs, which often had acronyms. Examples:

SSA (Social Security Act) – Provided money for retirees, disabled people, and survivors of deceased workers.

FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) – Protected money people put in banks (insured deposits).

CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) – Gave jobs to young men to work on environmental and conservation projects like planting trees and building parks.

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North Carolina During the Depression

The state was heavily affected, especially in rural and farming communities.

One major New Deal project in NC was the Blue Ridge Parkway:

Built to provide jobs.

Boosted tourism and connected parts of the Appalachian Mountains.

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While the New Deal helped lessen the worst effects, it did not fully end the Depression.

World War II was the major turning point:

Massive government spending for the war effort created millions of jobs.

Factories reopened, people were hired, and the economy boomed.

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