Year 11 - History
The Great Depression
America 1920–1973, Opportunity and inequality
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils undergo a period study that provides an unfolding narrative which tells a story about a period that shaped the world we live in today. They look at the key events, developments, people and stories that defined the chosen period.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain the consequences of the Great Depression.
Key Notes
- By 1932, one in four workers was unemployed in the USA.
- Living standards fell as many Americans lost their homes and were forced to rely on charity.
- Thousands of houseless Americans moved into camps known as Hoovervilles.
- One in 20 farmers had been evicted from their land by 1932.
- Farmers suffered from natural disasters and millions living in the Dust Bowl were forced to move.
Vocabulary To Learn
- breadline: a breadline was a long queue formed at charitable soup kitchens during the Great Depression
- evicted: if a person is legally forced to leave the property they live in, they have been evicted
- mortgage: a mortgage is money that you borrow from the bank to buy a home
- hobo: during the Great Depression someone who travelled around the country looking for work was known as a hobo
- welfare: help provided by the state and government organisations to those in need is referred to as welfare
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All Americans were affected in the same way by the Great Depression.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
By 1932, one in four workers was unemployed in the USA. Living standards fell as many Americans lost their homes and were forced to rely on charity.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'breadline'
a breadline was a long queue formed at charitable soup kitchens during the Great Depression.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: All Americans were affected in the same way by the Great Depression. Correction: Some issues experienced during the Great Depression differed between rural and urban areas. African Americans also tended to suffer more, with higher rates of unemployment than average.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 1930s American popular culture Study Guide
- American people and the 'boom' in the 1920s Study Guide
- American recovery from the Great Depression Study Guide
- American society in the 1920s Study Guide
- Black Power and the Civil Rights Movement Study Guide
- Causes of the 'boom' Study Guide
- Change in Post-War America Study Guide
- Civil rights legislation in the 1960s Study Guide
- Direct action and the Civil Rights Movement Study Guide
- Effects of the Great Depression on American society Study Guide
- Losers of the 'boom' in 1920s America Study Guide
- Martin Luther King and peaceful protest Study Guide
- McCarthyism and the second Red Scare Study Guide
- Opposition to the New Deal Study Guide
- Post-war American popular culture Study Guide
- President Hoover and the 1932 presidential election Study Guide
- Racial tension in early 20th century America Study Guide
- Roosevelt's New Deal Study Guide
- Segregation in the USA Study Guide
- Social and civil progress in the USA, c.1950-1973 Study Guide
- The American Dream in the 1940s and 1950s Study Guide
- The New Frontier and Great Society Study Guide
- The Red Scare in 1920s America Study Guide
- The role of Henry Ford in the 'boom' Study Guide
- The US Feminist Movement in the 1960s and 1970s Study Guide
- The Wall Street Crash Study Guide
- Women and the 'boom' in 1920s America Study Guide
- World War Two and the US economy Study Guide
- World War Two and US society Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 11 History guide library.