The West Between the Wars 1919-

1939Chapter 19

A. The League of Nations could not solve many of the new conflicts.

The United States did not become a member of the League of Nations, because Americans did not want to be involved in European affairs.

B. The League of Nations could not use military force and had to rely only on economic sanctions (denying trade or financial aid) to stop

aggression.

C. The Germans complained about having to pay back (reparations) the $33 Billion that was required by the Treaty of Versailles

Financial Crisis In GermanyInflation

Because they did not increase taxes, the

German government simply printed money to

pay for wartime expenses. This

drastically lowered the value of the peoples’

money.

D. The huge inflation meant that the German people suffered

terribly.

The Dawes Plan loaned Germany $200 million and reduced the reparation requirements.

G. In 1928, 63 nations signed the Kellogg-Briand pact, in which they pledged to renounce war as an instrument of national policy.

While Germany had been forced to reduce its military, no other nation was willing to take that step.

European nations still did not trust each other.

The Great Depression

A. Europe began the Great Depression in 1929.

During a depression there is very low economic activity and high unemployment.

The Depression Turns Global

• U.S. bankers demanded repayment of their overseas loans.

• American investors withdrew their money from Europe and raised tariffs.

• European nations responded by raising tariffs (taxes on imported goods).

• Germany and Austria were the hardest hit.

B. The Great Depression had two main causes:

1. Farmers expenses rose higher than the prices they received for their product. Farmers could not payback their loans, so they lost their farms.

2. The second cause was the collapse of the U.S. stock market in 1929.

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In August 1929, many investors were worried that the economic boom might

end so they began selling off their stocks. The rash of selling caused the stock

prices to fall.

The Stock Market Crash

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On Tuesday October 29th, also known as Black Tuesday, their was a stampede of

selling in the stock market. This stampede of selling stocks caused

stocks to be worthless.

stock market

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During the Great Depression, families suffered. Marriage and birth rates dropped. Hungry parents searched for food to feed their families. Families doubled up, taking in aunts, uncles, and cousins. People felt they were a failure because they could

not find work.

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4. The Nation in Hard Times

During the 1930’s, states from Texas to the Dakotas suffered a severe drought. High winds

carried away the soil away. As a result, this area became known as the dust bowl. Dust storms buried houses and farms. Years of over grazing cattle on the land caused the

disaster.

dust bowl

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Poor farmers lost their farms to the dust storms. They became migrant workers, people

who moved from one region to another in search of work.

migrant workers in the 1930’s

Migrant workers today

Poor farm

families

C. The United States was terribly affected by the Great Depression.

In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was elected President.

By 1933, 15 million people were out of work. 24.9% unemployment10% 2009

D. Roosevelt instituted a policy called the New Deal.

Under the New Deal, the government created jobs by funding programs of public works.

Roosevelt also pushed through the Social Security Act, which created a system of old-age pensions and unemployment insurance.

E. While the New Deal may have prevented a social revolution in the U.S., it did not solve the problems of unemployment.

It was not until World War II that American workers

regained full employment.

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In his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck told of the heartbreaking story of the

Okies trying to find new homes in California. Grant Wood painted an Iowa farmer and his daughter who look determined enough to

survive any hardship.

John SteinbeckThe Grapes of WrathAmerican Gothic

(1930) Grant Wood