The Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt in Economy Improvement - Assignment Example

Questions and Answers 1. Who were ANZAC troops? The ANZAC was an army developed in the First World War, formed in Egypt in 1915. They were Mediterranean Expeditionary Force and operated during the battle of Gallipoli. The commander was General William Birdwood. 2. What were the main points of the Treaty of Versailles? The treaty had four main points namely no secret treaties, the countries were expected to reduce their weapons and their armed forces. The autonomy of nations was encouraged by allowing nations to govern themselves. All countries should belong to the League of Nations. 3. Why was signing of the treaty at Hall of Mirrors relevant? Hall of mirrors was significant because of the historical factors attached to its existence. The hall of mirrors was the central gallery of the Versailles place making the treaty reliable and with utmost significance. 4. What was the Locarno Pact? These were the seven agreements penned in Switzerland between 5 to 16th October 1925. The major focus of the treaty was to secure post war territorial settlements and build a relationship with Germany. Agreement was signed at Locarno Switzerland. 5. What is the Selective Service Act and when was it instituted in the lead-up to World War II? The selective service act gave the federal government power to institute and raises a national army. It was envisioned in 1916 after the break in relations with Germany in 1917. 6. Name two groups, other than Jews, who were targeted by the Nazis The other groups targeted by the Nazis is the Soviet Prisoners of war, communists, liberals, other political dissidents, homosexuals and the gypsies 7. Which nations were the primary members of the Axis Powers? The axes of power were the political and military alliance between Italy, Japan and Germany with the objective being expansions through aggressive warfare. 8. Which nations were the primary members of the Allied Powers? 9. What is the House Committee on Un-American Activities and why was it created? It was developed as an investigative committee of the House of Representatives with the focus of the committee being on issues of national security. It was latter abolished in 1975 and transferred to the House of Judiciary Committee 10. What types of modern conveniences became common during the period between the World Wars? The change of sanitation and toilets, from the traditional Squat toilets to flush. Modern communication process was developed the use of telephones and transport. 11. What is a femme sole and a femme couvert? Femme sole refers to the legal status of an adult unmarried woman with legal status, which included the owning of property, making contracts in her name. Femme covert is status achieved by the woman after marriage meaning loss legal rights and obligation from her husband. In fact, her existence was incorporated in to that of her husband. 12. What new entertainments became popular in the 1920s? In the 1920s, the theaters for movies and radios were the most popular entertainment. However, movies outweighed the use of radios because they were expensive to purchase. Additionally, dancing was famous during the entire process. 13. What is the FDIC and what is its purpose? FDIC is Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. It is an independent corporation, and was created in 1933, to promote public confidence and stability in the nation’s banking systems. 14. What was the purpose of the Social Security Act of 1935? The social security Act was developed to tackle old age, poverty unemployment and the burden of widows. It gave the federal government the power to assist the less fortunate, in the society. 15. What caused the Dust Bowl? Dual bowl was caused by severe drought and poor agricultural practices leading to environmental damage of the product. The great depression The great depression was a serious problem for the American society but the causes of the great market crash was different and has not been understood by the economists. The crash of the stock market of 1929 on black Tuesday October 29, 1629 was the principal cause of depression experienced. The crash led to massive loss totaling to more than $40 Billion Dollars (Foner 78). The loss was so immense that led to poor recovery for the country increasing the risk of entry into the great depression. Coupled with the stock market crash banks failed in the 1930s leading to loss of savings because bank deposits were not insured. The collapse of the banks reduced bank loans leading to less expenditure than initial. The crash of the stock markets reduced the spending capability of individuals through fear of further economic woes. Unemployment and job losses led to a reduction of the purchasing power. In addition, American economic policy changes as a result of the ailing economy. The government created the Smooth-Hawley Tariff to protect the American companies. The policy charged high tax for imports reducing the amount of trade between America and the rest of the world. Drought was an indirect facilitator of the economic problems witnessed in the country. The serious drought occurred in the Mississippi valley, in 1930, leading to the sale of farm lands in order to remain afloat (Foner 90). While not affecting the economy directly, it helped in the shaping of the economic perspective of the country, to create a financial problem in the area. The drought did not have a massive influence on the economy but helped facilitate the already worse economy to decline. The role of Franklin Roosevelt in economy improvement After the depression witnessed the country struggled to recover from the failure with minimal success until the election of Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt enacted several Legislations through congress in a bid to help industrial and economic recovery. The creation of the National Recovery Administration was to foster operation between the government, business and labor in order to achieve success. During the first hundred days of his tenure, he instigated changes in the political leadership to solve the banking crisis with the main focus of the change to restore and not offer drastic change in the economy. The job losses and unemployment witnessed after the great depression had affected the lives of the citizens (Foner 121). In order to assist, the president instigated relief programs to support provision of basic needs to families and also help in spurring the economy. The relief programs helped to reduce starving of the citizens while also restoring the self-respect of the people. The relief programs were latter replaced by the social security act passed in order to support the less fortunate and unemployed in the society. The social security act provided modest pensions, financial assistance and unemployment insurance. The act reduced the effect of the great depression on the society thus improving the status of the citizens. The new deal program of Roosevelt improved several sectors of the economy but did not initiate radical change in the society thus a modest success in economy improvement. However, several issues still affected the economy especially labor and the non-unionized minority. Roosevelt helps in initiating recovery after the depression and thus helped in shaping the destiny of the American population. Works Cited Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. Washington: W. W. Norton Limited, 2010. Print Read More