Roosevelt was elected during a difficult time for the States, the Great Depression is one of the worst times that the US has gone through. During his first few months in office, he created a plan called the "New Deal", a series of economic actions that would be taking place. These included: Keynesian economics, alphabet agencies, work projects, and fireside chats. Keynesian economics would ensure that the government could begin bringing the country out of debt by borrowing money, and repaying it back once the economy had recovered. Alphabet agencies were agencies with three letter acronyms created to deal with different parts of the New Deal, such as agricultural prices and practices, volunteer work, national projects, and minimum wage and overtime hours. Works projects were huge projects to take place across the country, such as the massive highway systems and the Hoover Dam, these projects generated hundreds of thousands of jobs for the American people. Fireside chats were a small radio show that Roosevelt held once a week, he would tell the American people about the problems America was facing, and how he meant to deal with them. Overall, I consider Roosevelt to be highly successful in his management of one of the worst times in American history.
The stock market game was very fun. Although I was not very good at it, I enjoyed seeing the effects Black Tuesday had on the stock market, and how people interpreted the news to predict the rise and fall of stocks. One of the biggest causes of the Great Depression was the government's lack of concern about the economic calamities befalling their nation. I found the stock market game to be very eye-opening, I hadn't fully understood the effects of the crash until I experienced it with my own eyes, and now I'm down $46,000, damn.
In the 1920s, the chain of republican presidents, in the States, gave way to many social changes such as women's rights, jazz music, and prohibition, The economical factors created many job opportunities and a huge boom in the economy. The largest change was the inclusion of women in the workforce, they were now allowed to have jobs, many of which were available due to the new changes in industry. Women were working on the assembly line, bakeries, hospitals, and calling for social change in the form of the prohibition of alcohol. They felt that the effects of alcohol were negative to society in America. Ultimately, this law was removed after a number of years. Other social changes were in the musical scene. Jazz, an industry dominated by African-Americans was becoming hugely popular, and dancing the Charleston became more and more popular. It involved fast paced movement of the arms and legs, seemingly random, but highly coordinated, potentially involving a partner. THe economy was booming, and so was life in the States!
I really liked this movie, it showcased the 20's, when there was a huge economy boom, people were buying and selling, food was abundant and everyone was happy. Though the majority of the film was set in the 30's, at the heart of the Great Depression, the contrast was never forgotten. The scenes they included, especially the interview scene where James J. Braddock claims to be "fighting for milk". Here we have a scene from the actual fight between the protagonist, James J. Braddock, and his opponent, Max Baer. Baer was known for killing two men in the ring with his ruthless style of boxing, whereas Braddock was renowned for having never been knocked out in all his years as a professional boxer. I very much enjoyed how the fight was never about the cliche of "It doesn't matter if the other guy is stronger, better, or faster, as long as you try hard you can win!" Braddock tried hard in the entire film, and in the ring, it was his skill as a boxer, and tenacity as a man that pulled him through, not some intangible idea that he deserved the title. This movie was incredibly powerful, not only for it's boxing, but for the message it portrays, and the moving depiction of the Great Depression at it's core.
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