The Century America's Time: Stormy Weather

1. What was the Bonus Army? What were its demands? How did the Bonus Army
exemplify the frustration of the American people during the Great Depression?


2. The Great Depression was the most severe economic crisis in American history. What
were some of the causes of the Great Depression?


3. Almost everyone in the country felt the effects of the Great Depression. How did the
depression affect average Americans?


4. Even though the economy failed, many Americans blamed themselves for their
unemployment and hard times. Why did so many unemployed Americans blame
themselves?


5. People still went to the movies in droves despite the hard times of the depression.
Why did the motion picture industry continue to thrive when most other businesses
failed?


6. What was the Dust Bowl? How did it exacerbate the Great Depression?


7. Why did more Americans join the Communist Party in the 1930s than any other time?


8. Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party came to power during the German depression. Why
were Hitler and Nazism so appealing to Germans in the 1930s?


9. How did Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president during the Great Depression, use
radio to help restore American confidence in their government and the economy?


10. Was FDR’s New Deal radical? Why or why not?


11. What finally ended the Great Depression?


12. What is the legacy of the Great Depression?