While there were many economic, political, and social causes to the great depression, what cannot be overlooked is the environmental causes. At the roots of the economy is the agricultural industry. If this industry fails, many others will fail with it. This is why when the Dust Bowl struck the midwest region, many suffered.
The dust bowl took place across the 1930s. These dust storms destroyed crops, homes, and overall quality of life in the area. Due to extremely poor farming practices by farmers straining the land for cash crops, the soil was essentially killed. By overworking the land, the soil was dried up and created a topsoil similar to sand (but not as fine of course).
This brought a failure to produce crops for many farmers who were already feeling the economic strain of the World War. Whenever a dust storm started, cars would stop, people would seek cover, and no light would seep through the the thick atmosphere. These dust storms could last from an hour to stretching across days, leaving crops and livestock to die.
Desperate to recover, the government began to take action. In 1935, during FDR's administration, congress passed the Soil Conservation Act, which marked a turning point in agriculture. While the dust storms only lasted five more years, the economic impact would be felt long into the future.
http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl
http://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/causes-of-the-great-depression-104686
This is a really interesting post, apparently these dust storms were called black blizzards. Apparently these blizzards were so bad that they reached the east coast in cities like Washington DC, New York City and some of the dust even coated the boats that were in the Atlantic ocean. It's stunning how far these dusts traveled and the the many health impacts it had on the people. http://www.history.com/topics/dust-bowl
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Drew! We often consider how economics affected the Great Depression, but rarely do we consider such surprising things as the environment. In class, we talked about how the end of World War I led to surpluses that devastated farmers. The market declined, leading to forced price deflation. However, the agricultural sector was also influenced by the Dust Bowl. Farmers couldn't grow crops in this inarable land, forcing them to sell and move elsewhere. By 1936, 21 percent of rural families in regions affected by this drought recieved federal emergency relief.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thebalance.com/what-was-the-dust-bowl-causes-and-effects-3305689