How Did The Great Depression Affect The Economy

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The United States Great Depression was a period of time that began in 1929 and ended in 1941. During this time, there were several key economic changes which sparked social changes and created a very different daily life for people all across the United States. The decrease in the wholesale price index as well as the gross and industrial production rates caused more people to lose jobs, which in turn caused actions such as crime, suicide, and prostitution rates to increase, more people to migrate looking for work, priorities such as health and higher education to be ignored due to costs, and entertainment gained popularity. Unemployment reached its peak during the Gread Depression. Our country went from nearly full employment, to around 25% …show more content…

They had to find some way to survive. There were many options for people to choose to help them survive, however, most of them weren't very pleasant. One way people dealt with their unemployment was to go into crime. In order to keep a little food on the table, people would sometimes resort to petty crimes. It wasn't legal, or glamorous, but it was something. Prostitution rates also increased as a way for desperate women to try to make a little money. Originally, before the depression, it was a job for lazy women who wanted to make a little money, but during the depression itself, it was a way for women to help their family. Some women did it independantly while others were connected to a certain hooker house where the men would come in. Either way, it was just another way for them to be able to pay their bills and keep food coming. Yet another way to combat the unemployment were the mass migrations. People moved from their homes, everything they knew, in order to try to find work elsewhere, in other towns, cities, states. Train hitchhikers were an increasingly common phenomena. It was a way to get anywhere for free; however, if you got caught, good luck, because the law was not on your side. There were some extreme punishments for people who were caught,

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