The Great Depression changed the lives of all Americans, separating that generation from the one that followed. An exaggerated need for security, the fear of failure, a nagging sense of guilt, and a real sense that it might happen all over again divided the Depression generation from everyone born after 1940. They never forgot those bleak years. This chapter explores the causes and consequences of the Great Depression, which had an impact around the world. We will look at Herbert Hoover and his efforts to combat the Depression and then turn to Franklin Roosevelt, the dominant personality of the 1930s. We will examine the New Deal and Roosevelt's program to bring relief, recovery, and reform to the nation. The New Deal legislation, some of which continued reforms started during the progressive era, did not end the Depression. But this legislation was based on the idea that the federal government had some responsibility for the economy and for the welfare of all the people. We will also look at the other side of the 1930s, for the decade did not consist only of crippling unemployment and New Deal agencies. It was also a time of great strides in technology, when innovative developments in radio, movies, and the automobile affected the lives of most Americans.
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