My Essay: The Great Depression was a tragic time in history, thousands of people went poor, unemployed or little pay, children were forced to work at young age, women were scared to fall pregnant and some people like the employers and the wealthy weren’t affected. The GD (Great Depression) began when the Wall Street crash occurred in October 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. Different hardships, challenges and opportunities were experienced in different part of the Australian society. Many people suffered from years of unemployment at around 30 per cent of the population not having work.
People also suffered from poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging & incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement. With all this suffering charities donated food and clothing. Although, some people weren’t affected like the employers and the wealthy. Why? They were protected from the Depression with their position in society and the wealth already around them. U. S and British investors lent money to Australia for major projects like roads, hospitals and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But then the U.
S and British investors demanded payment back immediately which caused great troubles in Australian society. We were very hard hit and money dried up in Australia still having debt to Britain. Different people were affected differently. Men were in fear of unemployment and desperate for work, children had to leave school to find work and try make money for their family, and there was a heap of movement with many people moving to and from country areas. Many people also lost their homes and went to building shacks to live in, in a large city.
There is evidence found that some families even lived in caves having nowhere to live. Jack Lang (Premier of NSW in 1925-27 an 1930-32) introduced widows pension and the 44 hour working week. ‘Secret armies’ were formed involving powerful business men, politicians and army support etc. These ‘secret armies’ believed that to get out of the GD they needed to overthrow the government by winning an election and f that failed they planned to seize power by using violence. In the way of food, many people’s food and diets changed as their supplies available and prices changed.
City and urban people started growing fruits and vegetables for an easier source of food and money. In some urban areas co-operatives formed based on barter systems to share the produce available. The Great Depression ended at the beginning of WW2 and after the war, economy strengthened and life turned out for the better. The GD changed most people’s lives. Some were unaffected but for those who were, the GD forced thousands of children to leave school nd start working for money, men were afraid of unemployment and women were afraid of falling pregnant meaning another person to feed and shelter.
