Introduction
The Progressive Era through the Great Depression is an important issue for many historians, politics and scholars. It was the most distressing period in the world history. Many scholars assume that the Progressive Era has had an extremely great impact on the future history. Nowadays, the consequences of the Progressive Era through the Great Depression are obvious in the economy, politics, culture and social sciences. In the United States of America, the Progressive Era is known for its reforms and political activity. A lot of people believe that it made the basis for the American democracy. Many progressive activists are thought by some to have made a significant contribution into the development of a new better life in the USA. Many progressive transformations were made in the different fields of social life. Initially, progressive movements and reforms were observed in the local level, but later they were transformed to the state and national level. The Progressive Era through the Great Depression has become an object of thorough scientific research and investigation.
The Great Depression
The research asserts that the Great Depression was a period in the U.S. history, which resulted in the global economic crisis. It took place as a result of the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, which resulted in a collapse of the American economy. Accordingly, many banks, corporations and other businesses stopped their activities, and many of them became bankrupt. People were in panic, and this resulted in many problems. One of the major problems was unemployment which increased enormously. Employees were thrown out from their workplaces, and employers lost their profits and many lost their businesses entirely. People had a lot of difficulties just surviving. The attempts of the U.S. government to invest into the U.S. economy gave no results. The recovery of the economy was observed only with the beginning of World War II.
The Great Depression was very harmful to the U.S. economy as well as to other world economies. Uneven distribution of money made American economy unstable. Many people lost their money in banks, because their deposits were not insured. About 9,000 banks failed. Approximately 25% of the people lost their jobs. People from all classes were disappointed and hurt by the crisis. The government tried to help the American economy by rising costs for imports. It was a difficult time for people from the rural areas, and many of them left their homes and moved to the cities searching for work. Many activists of that era believed they understood the causes that led to the Great Depression. There were the crash of the stock markets and misdistribution of wealth. The unstable situation led to the Great Depression. The Great Depression that started in 1930 was a devastating time for the American and world economies.
Challenging Times for American People
Present day progress could not happen without the Progressive Era. Though it was a challenging time for many people, it left great imprints in the world economic history. The Progressive Era was observed in the USA from the 1890s till 1920s. It was the time of intensive social movement of people who wanted to change and improve society. Many issues that did not worry too much the population became popular. For instance, activists enforced their efforts to eliminate corruption in the government.
The study assumes that the Progressive Era, through to the Great Depression, gave rise to other different movements. Despite the tough times, the United States of America overcame serious difficulties. During this period, the flow of immigrants increased tremendously. The fall of powerful corporations took place all over the United States. People lost their jobs, and they had no money for living. Their families were suffering from poverty and hunger. There were strikes in all cities. People were in massive panic.
The growth of cities also had an impact on the processes that occurred during the Great Depression. Peasants moved from the rural areas in order to find jobs at plants and factories. However, most of the businesses were no longer operating. People had to stay in the cities without any means for making a living. The government tried to provide different programs to improve the situation but they were not effective. Atkinson argued that women were in a worse position than men because they were discriminated against. As a result of the Great Depression, many women activists began to struggle for their independence and equal rights with men. Women’s suffrage took place in the United States that had positive impacts later. Both periods, the Progressive Era and the Great Depression, occurred very closely together. Though it was a tough time for the United States, there were some reforms that helped the United States to become a democratic and flourishing country.
The Most Important Events in the Progressive Era
One of the most important movements of this time was women’s suffrage. The Progressive Era empowered women with new energy and ideas. Historically, women were subservient to their husbands; they could not vote and take an active role in society. As a rule, most of them were uneducated and thought that their main role was to raise children and take care of their husbands. The Progressive Era has changed the minds of women who began to gain their independence. The term ‘emancipation’ was introduced at this period. Women received many advantages such as liberal divorce, for example. Nowadays, women have equal rights with men and can have demanding jobs due to the activities that took place at this period. Women became active in transforming the United States and moving it forward towards democracy.
The research asserts that the Progressive Era encouraged the abolition of slavery to become a reality. African-American reformists have raised their activities demanding freedom to African slaves. They protested against racism and demanded decent healthcare and quality education for the African-Americans. Many other demands were introduced at this period and the government has had to deal with them. These demands were complicated and needed a further solution. However, they achieved their goals in the future.
During the Progressive Era many movements took place in the United States. Thus, many people supported the idea of socialism. They wanted to end capitalism through new reforms. This happened due to the global ideas of socialism and communism that were popular in Europe. The formation of the Soviet Union gave birth to social movements not only in the United States of America, but also in other countries in the world. The Progressive Era brought with it many liberal laws. The study assumed that workers in the Progressive Era were hired to their positions in accordance with their professional competencies, and not according to their political preferences as it was before.
The Efforts to Improve the Life
The Progressive Era through the Great Depression is characterized by the American people to improve the life. It is a well-known fact that the USA is a country of immigrants. Thus, many people from other countries came to the United States for better life. They wanted to get better jobs and conditions of living than in their countries of origin. Unfortunately, many of them did not get what they wanted. As a result, they became disappointed. Thus, corruption was very high and that prevented immigrants and the locals to live a decent life. People were tired to live a poor living. Racial and ethnical minorities were the main victims of poor living. They were unsatisfied with many issues of life. People understood that economic recovery was needed to improve their living conditions and receive jobs. Though, American immigrants had to go through many difficulties in a new country, they made a great contribution into recovery of the U.S. economy.
The time of economic restructuring of this period gave birth to economic recovery in the future. The research asserts that California was one of the most successful states at this period. Thus, they built many bridges and hydro electrical stations. These important objects were built by professional workers and were in service for many years. During the Great Depression, Californians built libraries, museums, parks, hotels and other remarkable places that attracted people from all over the United States and abroad. In fact, Americans created a version of American culture regardless of hard times. Americans spent a lot of efforts to overcome all difficulties and they have shown that they are a strong nation.
The Benefits of the Progressive Era through the Great Depression
Though this period was rather difficult for the American people, it gave fruitful results for the future development of economics and society. The reforms that took place at this period were of the greatest importance to the further development of capitalism. It was the time of prosperity of individualism, competition, liberalism, cooperation and the creation of new economic values. These new economic tendencies were pursued throughout the further history of the United States. The Great Depression was a starting point of a new and better life in the United States of America. The study emphasizes the impact of the Progressive Era through the Great Depression on the further development of state institutions. Historians, sociologists, and anthropologists argued that the Great Depression and its response to the crisis substituted new political institutions.
In spite of the difficulties, people continued to build cities, establish new laws, and create new corporations. Farmers continued to harvest foods for the American people. Moreover, the conscious of people has changed. Thus, they began to think more widely: they turned from family orientation into political orientation. They believed that the Progressive Era through the Great Depression was a turning point of economic and political life. Farmers, for example, improved the quality of their work due to the hardships that occurred in these years. The events encouraged them to survive in hard times. It was the time of cultural transformation as well.
Historians have written about the impact of government programs and reforms on legislation. For example, in response to immigrants’ demand, the Congress passed the Act that provided immigrants to have better living and working conditions in the United States. Therefore, the President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), who was popular among working people, did a lot to change conditions of immigrants and working class people. All social stratus underwent certain political and economic changes. Moreover, the Progressive Era through the Great Depression and their response to changes in the American society gave birth to the new socioeconomic relations.
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Conclusion
The Progressive Era through the Great Depression was the most distressing period in the world history. Many scholars assume that the consequences of the Progressive Era through the Great Depression are obvious in economy, politics, culture and social sciences. It made the basis for the American democracy. Many progressive activists made a significant contribution into the development of a new better life in the USA. The United States of America that exists nowadays was formed due to the changes that took place at this historical period.
