Georgia between World Wars:

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Georgia between World Wars

• 1919 to 1941

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GPS SS8H8a

• Describe the impact of the boll weevil and
  drought on Georgia.

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The Georgian Economy in 1920s

• Although most of the country enjoyed great
  prosperity throughout the 1920s, Georgia and a
  number southern states (which were still
  predominantly farming states) suffered due to
• Boll weevil
• Droughts
• Lost of farms
• Exodus of workers

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1. Boll weevil

• ¼ inch long insect
• Larvae feed off bolls of the cotton plant
  (fibers)
• Moved from Mexico into Georgia in 1915

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• What happened? Boll weevil larvae hatch and feed
  off cotton boll (white fibers)
• Makes cotton plant useless
• Immediate effect?
• Thousands of acres of cotton field destroyed.
  2.8 million bales produce in 1914 to only 600,000
  bales in 1923.
• Long Term effects?
• Prices of cotton drops to only 15 cents per pound
• The failing Cotton harvest (the major crop of the
  South) negative effects on other parts of economy

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2. Drought of 1924

• What happened? Parched and sun-baked fields
  destroyed boll weevil along with more cotton and
  other crops
• Immediate effect? Farmers lost income due to
  lost of crops
• Long term effects? Farmers either lost farms or
  became deeper in debt

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3. Lost of Farms

• What Happened?
• Crop failures and debts caused many small farms
  to fail
• Immediate effect?
• 60,000 farms in operation were lost in 1920s
• Long-term effect?
• When farms failed, banks also lost money
• Many farm-related businesses (stores, equipment
  dealers, repairmen) closed

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Exodus of Farm Workers or the Great Migration
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• What happened?
• Over 375,000 farm workers left Georgia between
  1920 to 1925.
• Workers, mostly Blacks who left due to racial
  discrimination, moved to Northern cities to work
  in factories and assembly plants
• Immediate Effects?
• Blacks had opportunities for better paying jobs,
  education, health care, and civil rights in the
  North
• Long-term Effects?
• Blacks still faced segregation, unequal pay,
  hostile competition, and over-crowded cities

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GPS SS8H8b

• Explain the economic factors of the Great
  Depression.

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The Great Depression was

• From October 1929 to 1940 (World War II)
• Started on Black Tuesday when the New York
  Stock Market crashed. (Value of stocks fell 40
  billion)
• U.S. Steel 262 stocks dropped to 22,
  and Montgomery Ward fell from 138 to 4 a share
• By 1932, 13 million (or 1 out of 4) Americans
  were unemployed
• Over 9,000 banks failed and millions lost their
  savings and cash
• People left homeless to live in Hoovervilles or
  wooden and cardboard shacks
• Soup Kitchens and bread lines feed the needy

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• 7. Education and health care for children
  suffered, and most went hungry everyday and had
  no shoes for their feet.
• President Hoover appeared indifferent to peoples
  problems since he (and many others) believed that
  government was not the solution to the Depression
  but the economy itself will work it own problems
  out.
• When Americans wanted a new approach to economic
  recovery, they elected Franklin D. Roosevelt in a
  landslide victory in 1932.

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Cause and Effect of The Great Depression

• Cause 1
• Stock Market
• Speculation

• Effect
• Prices of stock rose higher than they were really
  worth

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• Effect
• People borrowed (or given loans) more money than
  they could afford to repay. Loans could not be
  fulfilled thus banks could not make payments to
  businesses. Workers eventually laid off

• Cause 2
• Over-borrowing

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• Cause 3
• Personal Debt

• Effect
• Americans bought too much beyond their means.
  Remained in debt when laid off and had to sell
  belongings.

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• Effect
• Invested too much in stock market and lost money.
  Runs on Banks caused banks to fail when bank
  withdraws exceeded cash deposits.

• Cause 4
• Unwise Bank Practices

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• Effect
• Government officials and Americans believed that
  the economy will work itself out of the
  depressionYET it only created more problems

• Cause 5
• Laissez-faire attitude of Government

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• Effect
• Companies produce more than they could sell
  businesses either slowed production or laid off
  workers to get rid of surplus

• Cause 6
• Industrial Overproduction

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• Effect
• Other countries had difficulties selling their
  products in U.S. in turn, they will not be able
  to buy American goods and pay off wartime debts.

• Cause 7
• High Tariffs

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• Effect
• Droughts and overproduction caused prices to
  decline and farmer to lose income. Farmers could
  not pay off debts or buy goods. Farm communities
  in their own depression

• Cause 8
• Depressed Agricultural Production

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GPS SS8H8d

• Discuss the effect of the New Deal in terms of
  the impact of the Civilian Conservation Corps,
  Agricultural Adjustment Acts, rural
  electrification, and Social Security.

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Franklin D. Roosevelt and The New Deal

• During Roosevelt first 100 Days as president in
  1933, he introduced 15 programs which Congress to
  passed easily
• 1. provide relief to the needy, such as
  Federal Relief Administration (FERA)
• 2. economic recovery, such as the Civilian
  Conservation Corp (CCC) and Public Works
  Administration (PWA)
• 3. Reform financial system, such as Federal
  Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and
  Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

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Civilian Conservation Corps

• (CCC) Provided jobs for young men to build trails
  and roads in forests, reforest lands, construct
  structure to control flooding, and building of
  national parks
• Each young man earned 30 per month and send most
  of it home to their families
• In Georgia, build facilities at Kennesaw Mountain
  National Park and Roosevelt State Park ball
  fields, schools, and theaters Grady Hospital
  and Macon and St. Simons Airport

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Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)

• 1st Act in 1933-- to help farmers will low prices
  for crops and reduce surplus, government set
  program to set market prices and provide farmers
  subsidies so they would produce less.
• 2nd Act in 1935Rewarded farmers who practiced
  good conservation methods and reduce production
  on major crops such as cotton and wheat.

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Rural Electrification Administration (REA)

• When he experienced a large electricity bill at
  his Warm Springs cottage and finding out that his
  neighbors had no electricity, Roosevelt proposed
  the REA bill.
• 300 million given to rural areas nationwide to
  extend power lines to country and buy cheaper
  electricity
• Higher number of farmers in Georgia now had
  electric water pumps, lights in the homes,
  milking machines, and household appliances.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Built dams on
  the Tennessee River to control flooding and
  generate electricity to northern Georgia and
  Tennessee

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Social Security Act of 1935

• Insured citizens over the age of 65
  retirement income
• Provided workers with unemployment compensation
• Provided assistance to citizens too disable to
  work, plus assistance for their spouse and
  children

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Georgia Governors during the FDR Years (1932 to
1945)

• SS8H8c Discuss the impact of the political career
  of Eugene Talmadge
• SS8H9b Evaluate the importance of Richard Russell
• SS8H10c Discuss the impact of Ellis Arnall

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Richard Russell(1931 to 1932)

• View on New Deal and FDR
• Strong supporter of New Deal Persuaded FDR to
  start programs beneficial to GA

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• Race Relations
• Believed in segregation but spoke out against
  violence used towards Blacks

• Accomplishments
• reduced number of state offices (102 to 17)
• Eased some financial problems caused by Great
  Depression
• Served in Senate for 38 years and brought
  military contract to GA

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Eugene Talmadge (1933 to 1936 1941 to 1942)

• Views on New Deal and FDR
• Disliked federal intervention and New Deal
  Programs

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• Race Relations
• Considered a conservative white supremacy.
• lost 1942 election due to firing officials who
  wanted to integrate schools

• Accomplishments
• Reduced property taxes, utility rates, and state
  fees
• Large support from rural voters
• Only GA governor elected four times

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Ed Rivers (1937 to 1940)

• Views on New Deal and FDR
• Big supporter of New Deal Programs in GA

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• Race Relations
• Supported programs to help out both poor whites
  and blacks

• Accomplishments
• Health services for all Georgians, old age
  pensions, raises for teachers, and seven-month
  school year
• Expanded electrical services to rural area
• Unemployment compensation

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Ellis Arnall (1943 to 1946)

• Views on New Deal and FDR
• Strong supporter for Roosevelt's war time policies

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• Race Relations
• Abolished poll tax and white primary
• (100,000 blacks voted in 1946 GA primary)

• Accomplishments
• Created boards to monitor Board of Regents and
  Prison system
• Supported GA to be first state to allow 18 year
  olds to vote
• first governor to serve four-year term