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The Depression changed the lives of people who lived throughout rural America. The Depression in rural America actually began a decade before the Great Depression. The United States experienced after World War I experienced recession (1918-19) followed by a severe depression (1920-21). Urban America quickly recovered and enjoyed a decade of economic expansion and growth. Rural America never recovered. And this was made even worse when the farmers on the Great Plains had to contend with a severe drought. Unappreciated by the pioneers that settled on the Great Planes after the Civil War, they were settling down on a fragile environmental system. The term eco-system had not yet entered the vocabulary. This was suddenly brought home by the dust storms and the new term Dust Bowl. The New Deal was particularly concerned about rural America. A majority of Americans now lived in cities, but there was still a very substantial farm population, much larger than is the case today. The New Deal included several programs to both assist rural Americans survive during the Depression as well as to try to correct the endemic farm problem. While the drought and resulting dust storms were the most visible problem, farmers experienced other problems, including insects, summer heat and winter cold. Mos farmers still did not have heat, light or indoor bathrooms as were now standard in the cities. Farm families raised most of their own food, eggs and chickens, milk, meat from their own pigs and cows, and vegetables from carefully tended gardens. This put them at an advantage from many city families when th fathers lost their jobs--as long as they didn't lose their land. Tragically many farm families did, this include both farm owners and share croppers. Many farm families moved away. The best known are the Oakies hard hit by the the Dust storms, many of ho headed West. Many blacks share croppers headed north, part of the Great Migration which began after World War I. Some young men found government jobs building roads and bridges. Others found work with the CCC or WPA. One of the earliest New Deal efforts was the Agriculture Adjustment Act (1933) which was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Farm Security Administration (FSA) combined a range of disparate programs to assist farmers. Many of the AAA and FSA programs are controversial with economists still debating the impact. Some attempted to reform the free market. Other embraced collectivist approaches. Efforts to boost farm prices are especially controversial. One program which undeniably improved farm life and productivity was the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). This made farm life not only easier and safer, but American farmers vastly more productive. And efforts to improve farming methods also had an important impact. Ultimately it was the weather and Adolf Hitler who revived the fortunes of rural America. Normal rainfall patterns resumed allowing farmers who managed to keep their land to resume normal operations (1940). And Adolf Hitler by launching World War II created a vast demand for farm products with European and Asian agricultural production disrupted by the War.
A majority of Americans now lived incities. America criossed that threshols (1920s), but there was still a very substantial farm population, much larger than is the case today. And the mechanization began in the 1910s was having a major inpact on productivity. The problem for farmers is that demand was not iuncrraasing. In fact the Depression meant that Americans had less money to spernd on food. Farmers had still not revovered from the falling export market fro American ecports after World wsar (1920s). The Depression only worsened expoprt sales. Farmers had struggled with falling prices throughout the 1920s. After the 1929 stockj market craash, city workers also fell om hard tomes. And this pnly worsened farm sales in the domestic market. Many rural Americans lived on marginal farms. This included both share cropers as well as small holdings. But even established farmers living on prosperous farms dfid not hve accrss to electrity. And electricity was not only a conveience, but could raise the priductivity of their farm. Most farmers still did not have heat, light or indoor bathrooms as were now standard in the cities, even in tenments. And if all of that was not bad enough, the Dust Bowl devestated the Southern Planes. Al of this accelerated the move to the cities. The New Deal was particularly concerned about rural America and formulated a range of policy iniatives.
The Depression in rural America actually began a decade before the Great Depression. The United States
experienced after World War I experienced recession (1918-19) folloed by a severe depression (1920-21).
Urban America quickly recovered and enjoyed a decade of economic expansion and growth. Rural America never
recovered. And a depressed rural sector meant that the American economy was vulnerble. Thus when the Stock Market crashed and the economy began to restrict. rural America
was epecially vulnerable. And the subsequent drop in farm prices devetated rurl America. Mny farmers were
already behind on their mortgages and with price declines they had no hope of keeping up payments or borrowing more money. And this only accentuated the economic spiral. Farmers unable to pay their mortgages put increasing pressure on banks, which were also troubled by defaults on loans to city residents. And this was made even worse when the farmers on the Great Plains had to contend with a severe drought. Unappreciated by the pioneers that settled on the Great Planes after the Civil War, they were settling down on a fragile environmental system. The term eco-system had not yet entered the vocabulary. This was suddenly brought home by the dust storms and the new term Dust Bowl. While the drought and resulting dust storms were the most visible problem, farmers experienced other problems, including insects, summer heat and winter cold. The econony spiraled down. A deprression in rural America meant that farmer could not aford to buy the products made by urban wokers like tractors, ther farm equioment, pumps, tools, and much more including range of consumer good. An unemployed workers could not aford to buy farm products. Farmers losing their land were forced into the cities, competing forjobs with unemployed city workers. Many farm families were forced to pack what they could fit into their Model-T or other car or truck and leve the land, in some cases farmed for generations by their families.
The Depression changed the lives of people who lived throughout rural America. Farm families raised
most of their own food, including eggs and chickens, milk, meat from their own pigs and cows, and vegetables from
carefully tended gardens. This put them at an advantage from many city families when th fathers lost their
jobs--as long as they didn't lose their land. Tragically many farm families did, this include both farm
owners and share croppers. The situation was especuially severe in the Southern Plins as a result of the Dust Bowl. Many farmers in the Southern Plains families moved away. The best known today as the Oakies hard hit by the the Dust storms. Many moved West in vehicles piled high with their belongings. California was common destination because of rumors about jobs nd opportunities. Oyhers head to tyhe Pacific Northwest. Many black share croppers headed north, part of the Great Migration which began after World War I.
The rapidly deteriorating farm situation forced the Federal Government to take action. President Hoover wanted to allow market forces to resove the farm problem. but the problem was so great that he began Federal efforts to aid farmers. He set up the federal Farm Board. It was a limited commitment, but it was the first Federal commitment to Government intervention in farm markets and prices. The Farm Board attempted to aid farmers by providing access to credit under favorable terms. It also bought agricultural commodities to stabilize the prices. The result was ythat farmers increased production. This and fallijg demand because of the Depression drove prices even lower.
The New Deal was not only focused on industry and urban America. The Roosevely Administration launched major efforts to revive rural America and the farm economy. There were several programs to both assist rural Americans survive during the Depression as well as to try to correct the endemic farm problem. Some young men in rural America found government jobs building roads and bridges. Others found work with the CCC or WPA. One of the earliest New Deal efforts was the Agriculture Adjustment Act (1933) which was ultimately ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The Farm Security Administration (FSA) combined a range of disparate programs to assist farmers. Many of the AAA and FSA programs are controversial with economists still debating the impact. Some attempted to reform the market econmy. Other embraced collectivist approaches. New Deal efforts to improve farming methods also had an important impact, both in preventing another Dust Bowl and in increasing farm productivity. .Efforts to boost farm prices are especially controversial. One program which undeniably improved farm life and productivity was the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). It was not without it critics, but here the positive economic impact and limited cost is undeniable. This made farm life not only easier and safer, but American farmers became vastly more productive.
Ultimately it was the weather and two brutal dictators Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who revived the fortunes of rural America. Normal rainfall patterns resumed in the Southern Plains. The rain allowing farmers who managed to keep their land to resume normal operations (1940). And Hitler and Stalin by launching World War II created a vast demand for farm products with European and Asian agricultural production disrupted by the War. As in World War I American farm production not only fed American armies, but those of its allies as well preventing famine and starvation in many countries that the War and genocidal policies had reduced to starvation. Russia and the Ukraine included some of the most productive agricultural land in the world. It had for ceturies been the European bread basket. Stalin had significatnlty reduced the Soviet agrcultural production by collectivization. The Soviet Union could no longer export massive quantities of grain as was the case in Tsarist times, but it could still feed its own people. This changes when Hitler ordered the Barbarossa invasion of the Soviet Union. With the black soil regions of the western Soviet Union in NAZI hands, the Soviet could no longer feed its people. One of the brutal dictators who started the war, Stalin, had to turn to the capitalist United States to prevent mass starvation--the second time that America had saved the Russian people from starvation. President Roosevelt called the United States the Arsenal of Democracy. It was also the Bread Basket of democracy.
Rural America if not transformed looked a lot diffrent by the end of the decade. Large numbrs of rural residents had moved to the cities. This began with th Depressiion and failure of many farms and then the Dust Bowl. A range of New Deal programs attempted to address farm poverty and underlying issues. Rural residents nenefitted from the government programs that put Americans to work. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) hired many men to work on parks, roads, bridges, swimming pools, public buildings and other projects. Some of these jons went to rural residents. Teen age boys and young adults joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). They lived in barracks, were given clothing, and provided with free food and mdical care. The small salary that they earned was sent to help their struggling families. The CCC boys planted trees, helped create parks, and did other projects to beautify and preserve natural areas, primarily in rurala reas. By the end of the decade the situation in Europe was revitalizing both the gricultural and industrial economy. Not only were many new jobs being created in city factories, but a labor shortage was developing. Amnerican farming was becoming inctreasing mechanized. And thanks to the New Deal we begin to see farmers begining to gain access to electricity. All of this was significantly increasing farm productivity at a time that the need for food was increasing. Farm income for the first time since the the 1910s was increasing. And New Deal soil conservation efforts were getting to the problems creating the Dust Bowl. There were still major differences between rural and urban life, but in part because of the ground work laid by the New Deal in the 1930s, these were disappearing and were no longer a major issue by the 1940s.
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