The 21st Century, the time period that we all live in today, smothered in continuous social, economic and political issues. An interesting era for films of this genre is the late 1930’s to early 1940’s which we see reflections in the literature today. War World 2 was a turning point in history and was a time of sheer horror in many places such as Spain, Germany, Poland and Eastern Europe. In today’s age, contemporary literature writers often draw their inspiration and ideas from the writers that have gone before them. As a result, many works of 21st literature face the events and movements from the past in order for them to make sense of the present. The two connections that are very apart in all four of my texts is power and control and the theme of hope. The way that each of these connections have been linked throughout the late 1930’s time period based texts show how important they are into understanding what is still happening in the 21st century. The texts that I have chosen to study are “The Book Thief”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “The Pianist” and “Defiance”. The reason I have chosen to study these are to shed light onto why 21st century literature quite often seem to take ideas from the past to help make sense for the future as “you have to know the past to understand the present.”
As stated by James Meade “In the 1930’s one was aware of two great evils - mass unemployment and the threat of war.” The late 1930’s was a time of war, a time of distress and a time of loss.
It was a time when federal and state officials were still developing work programs for the unemployed. This great industrial slump continued throughout the 1930's, shaking the foundations of Western capitalism.
The 1930’s was an era of harsh times for the American until they entered World War II. The stock market crash and dustbowl contributed to the start of the downfall of America for a period of time. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover both
The America in the 1930s was drastically different from the luxurious 1920s. The stock market had crashed to an all time low, unemployment was the highest the country had ever seen, and all American citizens were affected by it in some way or another. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal was effective in addressing the issues of The Great Depression in the sense that it provided immediate relief to US citizens by lowering unemployment, increasing trust in the banks, getting Americans out of debt, and preventing future economic crisis from taking place through reform. Despite these efforts The New Deal failed to end the depression. In order for America to get out of this economic
When World War I ended on November 11, 1918, President Warren G. Harding proposed “a return to normalcy”. This promised a return of the United States prewar mentality, without the thought of war contaminating the minds of the American people. With this in mind, the 1920s began- but Americans in the 1930s witnessed dramatic changes in their lives from the 1920s. The 1920s was a period of prosperity and economic success, while the 1930s was a time of economic downfall. The economy fluctuated between times of great prosperity and times of undoubtable depression. Following these economic downturns was a period of rigorous attempts to recover from severe economic loss. It did not take long for this economic hardship to lead to some more
The 1940’s was an interesting and critical time for the United States of America. World War II began in the late 1930’s and moved on into the 1940’s.
The Depression changed social structure in America forever. “The real story of the 1930’s is how individual families endured and survived, whether battling the despair of hunger and unemployment in the city of the fear of unending drought and forced migration in the dust bowl of the Great plains.” (Press, Petra pg 6)
The events of the 1930’s, or the Great Depression, did the most to influence contemporary America. During the twenties, America was at its most prosperous economic times until the stock market crashed in 1929. The stock market crash led to a dramatic decline of the U.S. economy. The decline in the economy changed Americans everyday lives. In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president and he created the New Deal to provide relief, recovery and reform. The Depression impacted America in the 1930’s in every aspect of life and still impacts America today. Although contemporary America was shaped by many events that occurred in the 20th century, America was most influenced by the 1930’s because of legislation that improved daily life
The Great Depression of the 1930’s was caused by many problems. They include overproduction, monetary policy, war debt, tariffs, the stock market crash, and unequal distribution of wealth. These each play a specific and intricate role in bringing the U.S economy to its knees.
The 1930s was one of the most challenging times in US history, where the Great Depression caused millions of Americans to suffer through hardships because of the economy. Many people were out of work and unemployed, and the government at the time, believed that the best option was to stay out of its affairs, leaving the struggling people hung out to dry. It was not until Franklin Roosevelt was elected president, that the state of the country began to change. And that was due to the creation of the New Deal; a plan to alleviate the state of the country, providing help through increased government spending and programs, that led to its eventual recovery after the second World War.
During the 1930’s, the United States of America was captivated by a economical, financial, and social depression as a result of the Stock Market crash in October of 1929. Many people were left with almost no money, no job, and great deal of debt. When elected in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took over the White House and implemented his “New Deal” policy that established many different legislations, administrations, and agencies in efforts to bring back American jobs, money, and prosperity.
The 1920’s and 1930’s represented a time of change for our country. Just as times began to pick up after the Great War, through technological advances, the nation collapsed. People began spending out of control, investing in stocks, and moving to the city. The stock market crashed in 1929, the effect was that many people lost their savings, businesses closed, and jobs were lost. This horrendous period is known as the Great Depression. Once again things began to look up as Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for president and created the New Deal. This era reflects how human nature reacts to such change.
The 1930’s were one of the most difficult times in American history. It was the time of the Great Depression. Millions of Americans suffered hardships as the economy was in a free fall. Many Americans were unemployed and lost almost everything they had owned. In 1932, America realized it was time for a change, and elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a landslide vote. Roosevelt promised to help end the depression and with his New Deal. The New Deal was Roosevelt’s plan to end the Great Depression. Through increased government spending, FDR enacted numerous public works programs in an effort to simulate the economy. The New Deal’s “alphabet soup” (this was the nickname for the numerous programs FDR enacted) was FDR’s plan to people
In the 1930’s a whole new nightmare had occured. The Great Depression into play losing all their money. During this economic crisis a lot of things happened, some even tried to solve these predicaments.
American life prior to World War II may have not been the best from 1931-1939. Already in the Great Depression that started in 1929 people were left very discouraged and hopeless. In 1932 the economy was the worst it had ever been, it had hit rock bottom (p. 850). Many had lost their jobs and over 11 million Americans could not find work (p. 850). America was at its worst and people were hungry, suicide rates had risen and people were having less children than ever before. People’s reaction to the
The 1920s seemed to promise a future of a new and wonderful way of life for America and its citizens . Modern science, evolving cultural norms, industrialization, and even jazz music heralded exciting opportunities and a future that only pointed up toward a better life. However, cracks in the facade started to show, and beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 the wealth of the country, and with it the hopes and expectations of its people, began to slip away. The Great Depression left a quarter of the population unemployed and much of the rest destitute and uncertain of what the future held. Wealth vanished, people took their money out of banks, and plans were put on hold. The most significant way in which the Great Depression affected Americans’ everyday lives was through poverty because it tore relationships apart and damaged the spirit of society while unexpectedly bringing families together in unity.