The USA: Credit and Hire purchase

In History Skills, we are studying the USA. Therefore, we had to write an essay answering the following question: How important were credit and hire purchase as a reason for economic growth during the 1920s?. Here it´s my work:

In the 1920s, the USA went through a series of changes, from the economic aspect. Each of them affected the country in different ways, some for good and others for worse. During this period, USA's economy boosted, it led most of the world’s industries, the economic growth was huge.

Referring to this last concept, we have to mention the “Buy now, pay later” hire purchase schemes. With the development of new industries, huge corporations, new selling methods, appeared as well. People were encouraged to buy the new stuff that was coming out, it didn't matter if you lacked money. Banks offered many ways for people to lend them money. Therefore, they would buy what they needed or wanted using a loan, and later on paying the bank. Banks lended money to speculators as well. They were investors who borrowed money to buy shares and when the price of them raised, they would sell them again. Then, they would pay de loan and have a profit left. What's more, they didn't have to pay the full value of the shares. They could buy “on margin” which meant they had to pay 10% cash and could borrow the rest.

Mass marketing and advertising played an important role when persuading people to do so. Many advertisers had learned their skills in wartime propaganda and now were setting up agencies to sell cars, clothing, etc. They encouraged Americans to spend. With all this new idea, a cultural change can be observed, people´s mind changed. Before, they would save up every penny and use it for necessary things. Now, they would spend money and not save up, since this was seen as what an American should do.

But, did this change actually benefited the economy growth? At the moment it may look like it did, industries, shops, were producing at a mass scale due to Fordism, which was the first moving production line in the world that made produce more in less time, making products cheaper so more people could buy them. People were able to acquire what they needed and even more, for example, owning a car was not just a rich person’s privilege. However, this fast economic growth would end up failing, leading the country into a great depression, where people couldn't pay the debts that were created previously, and, as a result, since they didn't have money, businesses wouldn't have anyone to buy their goods.

              

The USA: 1932 Presidential Election

In History Skills, we were given a question in order to write an essay: How important were Republican reactions to the Wall Street Crash as causes of Roosevelt´s success in the presidential election of 1932?. Here is my work:

There were several causes for Roosevelt´s success in the presidential election of 1932. The republican reactions and opinions towards the depression played an important role on people´s decisions. Moreover, the situation in which the country was, mattered as well.

President Hoover wasn´t able to solve the problems of the depression. He was regarded as a “do nothing president”. He wasn´t effective, whether he said “prosperity is just around the corner”, not taking any measures, just waiting for the country to get better magically, by itself, or the measures he took made the situation even worse. For instance, he tried to restart the economy in 1930 and 1931 by tax cuts. Tried to persuade business leaders not to cut wages, stop banks from going bankrupt, introduced tariffs to protect US industries. As a result, he strangled international trade and deepened the depression.

Moreover, Hoover´s and most republican´s point of view didn´t helped. They weren´t willing to change their basic polices. They believed the main cause of the depression were the economic problems in Europe, not USA´s economic weakness. Again, blaming others, not assuming responsibility and not intervening. What´s more, the president didn´t care about people suffering due to the economic issues, he thought social security wasn´t the government´s responsibility.

In 1932, time for elections, Franklin D Roosevelt was the new candidate. He strongly believed an “active government” was needed to improve the country and people´s lives. He had plans to spend public money on getting people back to work. In addition, he had been a successful governor of New York and wasn´t afraid to ask for advice to experts. He was everything the country and the people needed.

The way the republicans reacted to the Wall Street Crash was critical for Roosevelt´s success. The country was devastated, people´s lives were terrible, and needed desperately a change. Since the government didn´t plan to do anything about it, as soon as elections came and the new candidate promised to help the country get out of the depression, by accepting responsibilities and actually working for it, his success was immediate. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Germany after the WW1

I made a poster, for History,  about the Impacts if the WW1 on Germany, using smore.com. Here it is:

Russia: The Ku Klux Klan

In history, we created, in groups, a presentation about a topic we studied last year. We decided to make it about the Ku Klux Klan, using Bubbl :

Scribble Map: British Empire

In History, we are studying the First World War. In groups we made a Scribble Map about an empire. I made one  of Great Britian:

Industrial Revolution Works

In the subject of History, our 1st topic was the Industrial Revolution. We made many works about it.
Here they are :

-We made a wallwisher with our expectations:

Created with Padlet

-In groups we made a Popplet about the Natural Resources during the Industrial Revolution:

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-All together, we started searching for information about the Industrial Revolution. And then we put all the information together and made a Power Point Presentation

Industrial revolution causes from Vicky1005