Economic Instability Of The Time example essay topic

The roaring twenties pass as the world sees peace after a generation of war. The age progress and reconstructions leads devastatingly to the age of anxiety. This age was characterized but not wholly, on the great depression. One of the worst economic crashes of all time, its repercussions spanned the globe. Yet, it was not just a time of economic crisis. All over the world, the very fabric of society was changing; be it economic, political or social.

First and for most, the roots of anxiety came from depression. The stock market crash of 1929 sent the stock market crashing down to reality. Stocks that were traded way higher than it's actually value. Other economic problems came from the growing wealth gap.

The poor, unable to make a living had few options. In the United States, mass migration, as depicted in the classic Grapes of Wrath, occurred at an astonishing level. Workers in the east fled to California in search of jobs they saw in pamphlets which were sometimes imaginary. The government of many nations such as the United States and Britain turned more towards socialism than ever. Programs such as health care, minimum wage, social security, and unemployment benefits all have their roots in this era.

Social works, an integral part of Roosevelt's New Deal, created many jobs for those who would other wise be out of work. Rampant unemployment of over 20 - 30% hit all major continents and was most prevalent in US, UK and German; not to say that other countries were in a bad position too. In Japan, the work of Korekiyo Takahashi, finance minister, is remembered as the person who saved Japan from the full brunt of the Great Depression. By manipulating the use of the gold standard he was able to reduce the effects of the down market somewhat similarly to what the Scandinavian countries accomplished in Europe.

The economic instability of the time correlated with the political instability. Socialist government invariably led to communism and ironically fascism also. A growing party of communism in Europe and also the United States threatened the existing government sparking a second Red Scare in the US. Fascism in both Italy and German, both tiny before the depression, exploded into power during the time. Hitler saw it as a golden opportunity. With the public turned so angrily at the existing government, dictators saw their chance to appease the people and jump into power.

The population saw them as saviors and unwittingly sent themselves and their children to their doom in a war they could not even perceive. Not just the country as a whole, but society itself was uncertain. New age philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sorel, and Wittgenstein gave us grim thoughts which challenged the foundation of society as they knew it. Nietzsche's statement that "God is dead" and Sorel's view that socialist revolution would occur in a flash of workers riots was shocking to many. Wittgenstein and his existentialism challenged the very meaning of religious questions such as "what is the meaning of life" as totally fallacy and a waste of time. On the other side, religious revivalists such as Barth and Marcel, sought to revitalize the Voice.

Even in the area of literature, an aura of pessimism pervaded. The Age of Anxiety lives very much true to its name. The uncertainty was molded into every facet of society. The political atmosphere had turn 180 in several countries. The anxiety of this era would not be ended by economic recovery and peace, but through devastation and war. Only the advent of World War 2 would the nations of the world truly unit both militarily and economically for total war, leaving some countries like the United States in better condition than when the war started, and many many more like German in utter ruin.

A generation of pain would be required to rebuild these countries.