Page 765 - US History

Chapter 25 | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? The Great Depression, 1929-1932 755
9. What did the popular movies of the Depression reveal about American values at that time? How did these values contrast with the values Americans held before the Depression?
10. Which assessment of Herbert Hoover’s presidency is most accurate?
A. Hoover’s policies caused the stock market crash and subsequent depression.
B. Although he did not cause the stock market crash, Hoover deserves criticism for his inadequate response to it.
C. Hoover pledged a great deal of direct federal aid to unemployed Americans, overtaxing the federal budget and worsening the financial crisis.
D. Hoover disapproved of American capitalism and therefore attempted to forestall any concrete solutions to the Depression.
Critical Thinking Questions
11. Which of the following phrases best characterizes Herbert Hoover’s foreign policy agenda?
A. interventionist, in terms of unwanted interference in other nations’ affairs
B. militaristic, in terms of strengthening American armed forces
C. isolationist, in terms of preventing America’s interaction with other nations
D. mutual respect, in terms of being available to support others when called upon, but not interfering unnecessarily in their affairs
12. What were the possible causes of the Great Depression? To what extent could a stock market crash of the intensity of 1929 occur again in America?
13. Why did people feel so confident before the stock market crash of 1929? What were some factors that led to irrational investing?
14. Why was Herbert Hoover’s response to the initial months of the Great Depression so limited in scope?
15. How did the cultural products of the Great Depression serve to reflect, shape, and assuage Americans’
fears and concerns during this volatile period? How do our cultural products—such as books, movies, and music—reflect and reinforce our values in our own times?
16. To what extent did the Great Depression catalyze important changes in Americans’ perceptions of themselves, their national identity, and the role of their government? What evidence of these shifts can you find in the politics and values of our own times?
17. Why is Herbert Hoover so often blamed for the Great Depression? To what extent is such an assessment fair or accurate?