Unemployment and the Dust Bowl Flashcards

How high did unemployment rise in the USA by 1933?

About 13 million people were out of work, roughly one in four workers.

Why did many businesses sack workers in the early 1930s?

Demand for goods fell, profits dropped, and firms cut production or went bust, so they laid off staff.

What were 'Hoovervilles'?

Shanty towns of makeshift shacks built by homeless people on city edges after they lost jobs and homes.

What were breadlines and soup kitchens?

Queues where charities gave free meals to the unemployed and homeless.

What and where was the Dust Bowl?

A 1930s disaster on the Great Plains (e.g., Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas) where drought and dust storms ruined farmland.

What caused the Dust Bowl to happen?

A long drought and strong winds, made worse by over-farming that stripped grasses and left dry soil to blow away.

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What was 'Black Sunday' in April 1935?

A massive dust storm on 14 April 1935 that turned daylight dark across parts of the Plains.

How did the Dust Bowl affect farm families?

Crops failed, animals died, debts rose, farms were repossessed, and many families had to leave.

Where did many Dust Bowl migrants travel, and what nickname did they get?

Many went west to California for farm work; locals called them 'Okies'.

How did unemployment hit Black Americans?

They were often the first sacked and last hired; in some cities their jobless rate reached about 50%.

How did many unemployed people try to cope?

They took casual work, shared crowded homes, queued for food, and travelled to look for jobs.

How did dust storms form, step by step?

Farmers ploughed up deep-rooted grass; drought dried the soil; winds lifted the loose topsoil; huge 'black blizzards' followed.

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