THE GREAT DEPRESSION

The Great Depression happened for a decade, from 1929-1939, started by consumer spending dropped and unsold goods began to pile up, slowing production. At the same time, the stock market prices began to rise, and by the fall of that year reached levels that couldn't be justified by future earnings, on October 24, 1929, the stock market bubble finally burst when investors began dumping shares.

A record 12.9 million shares were traded on October 24, 1929, and became known as "Black Thursday" . Five days later, on "Black Tuesday", about 16 million shares were traded after panic swept Wall Street. Millions of shares ended up worthless and "on margin" investors were wiped out completely.

At the beginning, President Herbert Hoover was our commander and chief, and despite his reassurances and other high leaders', that the disaster would just take its course, it continued over the next three years leading to the next election, but not a re-election.

By 1930, 4 million Americans were looking for work and couldn't find any. That number rose to 6 million in 1931, and the country's industrial production had dropped by half. Farmers couldn't afford to harvest their crops and were forced to leave them as rotting fields while everyone starved.

In the fall of 1930, the first of four banking panic waves began. Large numbers of investors lost confidence in the solvency of their banks and demanded deposits in cash, forcing banks to liquidate their loans. By early 1933 thousands of banks had closed their doors. In the face of this situation, Hoover and his administration tried helping failing banks and other institutions with loans, the idea was that banks would loan to businesses which were able to hire back their employees.

President Roosevelt believed that government should not directly intervene in the economy, and that it did not have the responsibility to create jobs or provide economic relief for its citizens. In 1932 however, more than 20% of the American population was unemployed. In correspondence, President Roosevelt was elected in 1932 for the Democratic Party.

By Inauguration Day (March 4, 1933), every U.S. state had ordered all remaining banks to close at the end of the fourth wave of banking panics, and the U.S. Treasury didn’t have enough cash to pay all government workers. Yet still, President Roosevelt (as he was known) projected a calm energy and optimism, famously declaring that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Then took immediate action and declared a "four-day bank holiday".

The "bank holiday" was where all the banks would close so that congress could pass reform legislation and reopen those banks determined to be sound. Roosevelt also did a number of talks over the radio to the country, also known as "fireside chats" to restore public confidence.

The works project administration (wpa) that found permanent jobs for Americans, turned its attention to Europe, when the nazis started war in Germany. They decided to strengthen the army while waiting for FDR to give the word if they were to stay neutral or join France and Britain. FDR did say that they should join the French and British against hitter.

1930'S LABOR AND DELIVERY

Until the mid 1930's, child birth was very dangerous, high percentages of women and their infants died during or soon after childbirth. New medical studies made an extreme effort to eliminate high risk practices. They also improved the training of physicians. Childbirth was moved from house to hospital.

With these efforts, along with general improvements in public health, came a reduction in the danger of childbirth.

PRESIDENT FDR

• (January 30 1882- April 12 1945) was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd president of the United States. As a democrat, he won a record 4 times and served until his death in April 1945. He was born to a Dutch family in upstate New York, he attended Harvard and married Mrs. Roosevelt in 1905 with whom he had six kids. In 1910 was he first entered politics in the New York State senate. President Roosevelt had beaten Herbert Hoover in the election in November 1932 and also defeated polio. His first day in office was March 4, 1933, Roosevelt gave strong diplomatic support to China and the UK, while remaining "neutral", his goal was to make America the "arsenal of democracy"

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which he called a "date which will live in infamy", he made war on Japan and Germany. Assisted by his top aide Harry Hopkins, and with very strong national support, he worked closely with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in leading the Allies against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan in World War II. During the war, unemployment dropped to 2%, relief programs largely ended, and the industrial economy grew rapidly to new heights as millions of people moved to wartime factory jobs or entered military service.

Franklin's health seriously declined after the war and he died three months into his fourth term. Most scholars say that he was the third of the top three presidents, after George W. And Abraham l.

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