Society and attitudes in the 1930s

In the 1930s, the Great Depression had provoked an international economic and financial crisis, resulting in bankruptcy and mass unemployment across all industrialized countries for 10 long years. An unprecedented economic depression that began on October 24, 1929, a day that will enter the history books under the name of Black Thursday. On October 24, 1929, at the New York Stock Exchange, 13 million shares were thrown on the market. Because of lack of buyers, prices collapsed. In total, between $7 billion and $9 billion were lost in one day. Thousands of investors were ruined. Panic is spreading. The stock market collapses by 30% in October and 50% in November.

One of the reasons for the stock market collapse was the explosion of a speculative bubble that pushed millions of Americans to buy shares through investment funds that collapsed one after the other.

The Black Thursday, affects all financial centers starting with London. The conflagration hit Europe hard, with American banks demanding immediate repayment of loans for post-war reconstruction.

28th October 1929

Everything went wrong since September.  2 months earlier I had all I wanted. I had a good job, more money than I needed and a happy family. I wasn’t cautious about my money, I invested most of my profits in the stock market thinking it would increase. 

And then the market crashed. The crash brought financial ruin for many businessmen and financiers including me. Ever since that day, everything in my life has gotten worse and worse. I lost my job, my house, and now I live in a small apartment with my family.

30th October 1929

We can’t pay the rent anymore and we can’t buy anything but bread to eat. My daughter is not going to school anymore, because of the rent problem, she is now outside begging for money. I’m so sad for her. At her age she’s supposed to enjoy life and be happy not begging for money. 

My wife has been very sick since yesterday but the medicines are expensive. I decided to sell my car to buy medicine. Normally the car is worth 1555$ but i’m desperate i need money quickly. I decided to sell it for 100$. As long as I still make an effort to make us survive it won’t be worse than this.

1st November 1929

My wife died, I couldn’t save her. I’m now alone with my daughter. I don’t know what to do.

I’m giving up, but I need to stay in this world and protect her, she only has me now.  

We are now living in the street without anything, only some clothes and 3 pieces of bread. 

We sleep on the ground like animals, I try to keep her warm by hugging her. 

Life is hell now.

3st November 1929

I decided to give my daughter to an orphanage, she will be happier there. 

I can’t, I give up, I don’t want to live anymore, I decided to finish with all of this.

Today was a hard day, not like all the days before, this time it was the worst.

Like every morning, i took a great breakfast and I got prepared myself to go out. Before going, I put on some makeup and dressed in a flashy red dress. I went out quickly to avoid Curley, I can’t handle him, he is rude, impolite and he’s always complaining about everything and everyone. Sometimes I’m feeling that Curley doesn’t deserve me. I was running outside hoping to found the only one that I like being with, Crooks. I think I love him. Despite looking everywhere, I didn’t find him. A bit later, I finally mange to find him in his stables, I was happy, however as soon  that i entered inside, my happiness changed into anger.  Inside I saw all those weak people furthermore I was questioning myself, where are all the others. There wasn’t anyone else, they had all left. I’m feeling like I am one of them, a weak person, no of course I’m not, I’m a leader. So , I don’t know why but I suddenly start insulting everyone, especially Crooks. At this moment, a lot of things went out of my mouth, I said many things to him but I didn’t have control of myself at this moment. I was offended at being left with only weak people because this also means that I’m weak too. Now that I’m calm, I want to apologise to Crooks but he won’t listen.