Hard Times and Happy Days: Society and Culture During the Great Depression

The Great Depression dominated the United States like few events in American history. It fundamentally transformed the country’s politics and economics. It also profoundly reshaped American society and culture and challenged people’s basic core values. Movies, literature, the arts along side the basic fabric of family and community life were altered. From the mesmerizing distraction created by Hollywood and radio to the gritty works of Steinbeck, Hemmingway, and Dorthea Lange to the bank robber culture that thrived in this time of economic despair, Americans struggled to understand, survive, and often even find sources of joy during this deeply disturbing chapter in US history.