PWWI - Post-WWI Georgia Module Overview

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Post-WWI Georgia

Introduction

World War 1 had created a huge demand for agricultural products to feed America's expanding military force. This brought sudden prosperity to farmers who were willing to grow wheat, corn, potatoes, peanuts and other food crops. But soldiers also needed to be clothes. The war created a great demand for cotton. As a result, cotton process skyrocketed. By 1916, farmers were selling cotton for three times the amount it sold for in 1900. Cotton was King again! With the end of World War I, cotton dropped from 35 cents to 17 cents.

In the 1920s Georgia suffered a major agricultural decline because of the boll weevil and a drought. Georgia saw a major population shift because of the destruction of crops. . Many African Americans moved north to look for work. Sharecroppers and tenant farmers moved into Georgia’s cities. Georgia entered the Great Depression before the rest of the United States because of these two natural disasters. The Great Depression was characterized by bank failures, home foreclosures and increased poverty. Nationally President Franklin D. Roosevelt approached relief by passing the New Deal programs. In Georgia, Governor Eugene Talmadge focused on balancing the state budget and reducing prices for utilities. Ultimately, Georgia, as well as the entire United States, suffered from major economic upheavals during the 1930s.

 

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Cotton Production Obstacles in the South: Farmers in Georgia were encouraged to diversify their crops, rather than their continued heavy dependence on cotton. Unfortunately before farmers made changes disaster struck in the way of the boll weevil and drought. The combination of the two disasters caused Georgia to enter the Great Depression before the majority of the United States.

The Great Depression in Georgia: The Great Depression was the longest period of high unemployment and low economic activity in modern history. By 1932, a fourth of all Americans were unemployed.

The Political Career of Eugene Talmadge: Eugene Talmadge played a key role in state politics from 1926-1946. He served as state commissioner of agriculture and three terms as governor; he died before taking office on his fourth term. He polarized Georgians during his era and fought hard against President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies during the Great Depression.

The New Deal and Its Impact on Georgia: The New Deal used government programs to help the nation recover from the Depression. Some of its most famous contributions are the Civilian Conservation Corps, Agricultural Adjustment Act, rural electrification projects, and Social Security.

 

Key Terms

  • Boll weevil - a small beetle that feeds on the fibers of the cotton. It is a major pest of the American cotton crop.
  • New Deal - Name given to a series of federal programs spearheaded by President Franklin Roosevelt in order to help the nation recover from the Great Depression.
  • Over production - A factor that led to the Great Depression; farmers continued to produce record numbers of crop yield though the demand for agricultural products was limited; this drove the cost of these products down.
  • Reduction in Purchasing - a factor that led to the Great Depression; economic fears caused consumers to stop buying manufactured products, which led to companies losing money and laying off more employees.
  • Stock Market Crash of 1929 - a factor that led to the Great Depression. A major stock market collapse that led to investors losing over 40 billion dollars.

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