What life was like during the Great Depression – 10 devastating facts

I feel sad that the the stellar role played by President Roosevelt in helping America to come out of depression is not highlighted. Using Keynesian economic strategy, he took measures to boost Govt. spending in building infrastructure and public works. This increased the aggregate demand thereby inducing investments and creating jobs. Difficult to believe that in just 100 days the process of recovery began and America started to regain it's primacy in the world. Sad to see that today's America has forgotten such a great person.

I am shocked that the lives of people of color were not included in any of these photos. Our people were here too and survived the horrors of this time period in even more challenging ways. As someone has said, "when white America has a cold, people of color have the flu". This was a major oversight.

After that, people during that period tended to hoard, especially paper products and non-perishables. Does that sound familiar..toilet paper??

A horrible time in our country. So sad. My Mom was born in 1927 & even though she was very young, she said that she would never forget how hard it was. She grew up to be a food hoarder & constantly reminded us to shut the lights out when we left a room, quit running so much water, etc. I think many grew up to be that way.

Now I understand the reason my mother saved buttons when our clothes wore out. I have a few jars of them that she kept, but then she kept a lot of other items as well, even zippers which she reused when one broke in pants. As a concequince I myself reuse buttons and zippers too. I was born in 1948 and the depression and second war had a lot if effect on me that was carried over from both my parents who were both born in 1912, so frugal lessons were ingrained on me and I'd believe most children born to depression survivors.

I believe that people of the status of the Kennedy family and others were not in anyway affected by the depression but still made more money

My father was a minor inventor and got paid from a well known technology magazine which helped to pay his rent and put a little food on the table . Before I was born but I still have some of the mags and what he was paid for his inventions .

Interesting info. My mom lived on a farm during that period of time. She mentioned to me that though hard she and her siblings had it somewhat easier then others. She also told me that her family sometimes fed hoboes that passed through. Wish my daughter would read things on the depression. MAYBE be more frugal with the $ she has and how lucky she is to have a nice job.

Happened in Australia too! My mum talks about having no shoes,and being very poor. Her father would stealing vegetables from the market gardens to feed them. There were very few jobs and they went on something called the Suso which was some sort of charity for food. It definitely wasn't just in America.

It was a terrible time for so many.

David Anderson, woo hoo! thank goodness for war!

For African Americans they truly learned that the adage “ Misery loves company “ was truly factual. Could you imagine being black during that era. A people that was already discriminated against had to also endure more suffering during an economic collapse of the time. Racism was probably so rampant then. Someone had to take the blame for white people misery. My grandfather use to tell me some of the most horrific tales of that time period. Born in 1907 he bore witness to a lot of things.

The second world war helped bring an end to the depression

It’s no wonder that the generation that lived through that was so frugal. They would be appalled at how much food is thrown away in this country!

Cathy McCay Kocsuta, My maternal grandmother grew up during the Depression, my paternal grandparents were born and raised through it. They definitely counted their pennies, but they learnt the value of growing their own food, and getting the most use out of things. That said, I won't deny that hoarding did become a generational habit, particularly with my maternal grandmother. She didn't discard much and often gave away to others in need. We still have her refrigerator from 1977 (and it still works). We use it as a bar and meat fridge, and I truly believe that my mother lives with the notion that there is nothing sellotape won't fix or hold together. So yes, it created both the bad, but it taught perseverance through adversity. We have to remember that the majority of the generation who lived this, lived through a World War before things became prosperous again. Count and be grateful for one's blessings, even the simple ones, for back then, even having a regular income, a roof over your head and basic, necessary food on your table regularly was a blessing.

How about the rest of the world! The Depression affected many lives across other countries.....

Why are there no pictures of African Americans?

Poor America, taking 15yrs to climb back out of the depression. How does anyone lose billions? I have got my head round that

Don't realize how good we got it now!

Peter Marchese, two nuclear bombs, a promise of a different city to be destroyed each week and the fact that with Soviets entering the war would mean a permanent end to Japan. Once the Soviets took territory, they never left. All those factors led the Japanese to surrender.

It was the entrance of the USSR into the pacific war that bought it to an end the two nuclear bombs had little effect the USA could do more damage with conventual bombing.

Christina Birnie, The greed is very much the same everywhere. In America there were development opportunities that Europe lacked, but greed is part of human nature.