History Flashcards
(16 cards)
When was the wallstreet crash
the 29th of October 1929
Wallstreet crash
The wallstreet crash was an unexpected quick decline in the United States stock prices, it marked the beginning of the great depression and was a drastic economic downturn for the world. The crash created a big increase in unemployment, caused worldwide panic and decreased consumerism, these all led to and started the great depression
Why did the wallstreet crahs happen
The wallstreet crash occurred due to an increase in borrowing money to buy stocks, their was a raised discount rate, overproduction, an unequal distribution of wealth and many investors were forced to sell their stocks, some being at lower prices than they had bought them, lowering their value and causing the crash
When was the great great depression
1929-1939 (10 years)
Great depression
Was a dire economic downturn which started in the U.S. It involved an increase in unemployment due to overproduction, this caused factories to close as consumerism decreased, this left no need or reason for factories to stay open. As they closed jobs were lost and people made less money causing the decreased consumerism, many people went into poverty and became unemployed without anywhere to live or access to food.
Why did the great depression occur
Due to the wallstreet crash
Life for people in poverty during the great depression
People who lived in poverty during the great depression, lived very hard lives in harsh conditions. The people had to live in what they called Hoovervilles, which were makeshift houses made out of salvaged materials such as wood scraps, cardboard etc. A “Hooverville” symbolised the anger and annoyance the people had with the way the president handled the economic downturn, this was not the only bad thing, the people also had to aquire food in other ways. They would auqire food from soup kitchens and sometimes ate from the trash, they had tatty clothes and some people would even sell their children. They’re were many protests and life wasn’t good.
The Atomic Bomb
During World War 2, America had created a top secret project called the Manhattan Project where scientists were involved in making Nuclear weapons, the project was called the Manhattan Project. Two bombs were made and authorised to be dropped by the U.S president Harry S. Truman from the project, with the first being called the little boy, and the second being called the fat man.
The little boy
The little boy was dropped on the 6th of August 1945 on a Japanese sity called Hiroshima, the bomber which dropped the bomb was called Enola Gay and the estimated amount for victims the bomb killed was 120,000.
The Fat man
The second bomb “the fat man” was dropped on the 9th of August 1945 on the Japanese city Nagasaki, the estimated number of victims the bomb took was 80,000
Argument for dropping the bomb - Dropping the bomb saved lives
More Japanese people would have died from a prolonged campaign of conventional firebombing, the atomic bomb gave the emepror the argument he needed to persuade the japanese military to surrender, it would have caused less casualties than estimated if the U.S had tried to invade to Japan, and in the long run saved lives
Arguments for dropping the Bomb - the Japanese were not innocent
Four years before the bomb was dropped, the Japanese invaded the Pearl harbour with no warning, which brought the U.S into world war 2. However the U.S gave the Japanese warning and they wouldn’t surrender, the Japanese even committed atrocities such as starving and beating prisoners in camps. So they were not innocent
Arguments for the bomb - the atomic bombe ended the war
Japan was not going to surrender, the U.S asked Japan to surrender before they dropped the first bomb, but didn’t respond. They were even asked again before the second bomb was dropped, and yet again didn’t respond. The U.S then kept conventional bombings on other Japanese cities until the moment of surrender
Arguments against the Bomb - Dropping the bomb as morally wrong
Using atomic bombes was morally wrong against the Geneva convention whihc says bombings should only be carried out against military. The cities chosen had no military value and had been used as clean target to most affectivley measure the imapct of the bombs. This caused 250,000 people to loose their lives just so the Americans could conduct a test.
Arguments against dropping the bomb - Japan was on the verge of surrender
More than 60 of Japans cities had been destroyed by conventional bombing and its islands were being blocked by the American navy. The soviet union had entered the war by attacking Japanese troops and by 1945 it was only a matter of time before Japan lost the war
Arguments against dropping the Bomb - the atomic bombs were not like conventional weapons
The bombs melted the eyes and skin leaving people with injuries more horrific than the worst casualties from ordinary bombing. Women had designs from their Kimonos burned into their flesh and the radiation caused radiation sickness which killed thousands of people who had survived the initial blast. This can not be compared to conventional bombing and is so different that is it still causing problems within Japan today, for exanlpe, babies being born with disabilities
