The U.S. economy felt the financial pressure as confidence and prosperity led to the Great Depression resulting from of bad investments, the crash of the stock market, and bank closures, coupled with natural disasters. Before the Great Depression books and movies such as Charlie Champlin’s The Gold Rush reflected the American dream as the land of opportunity for self-reliant success and capital gain (Corbett, 2016). The cultural view of the rags to riches fantasy changed with the financial and economic downturn that created severe unemployment and homeless with minimal means for the people to pull themselves out of poverty.
Popular culture shifted from prosperity and individualism to one focused on the need for government welfare programs and family values and preservation. Movies such as Capri’s film It’s a Wonderful Life depicted the struggles of a family-owned savings and loan business fighting corrupt banks and wealthy businessmen, which required the community to come together to help before the family lost everything (Corbett, 2016).
However, the government viewed welfare programs as the responsibility of private charities who could not keep up with widespread needs of the people. President Hoover believed that people could recuperate by budgeting better and working harder without government regulation and intervention
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Families who were once prosperous learned to be poor by conserving, sharing clothing, and collecting and eating what they had once observed as a scrape as a vital source of life (Corbett, 2016). Media outlets and radio stations helped reinforce the traditional American values, and reminded people of the days gone by and offered an escape from their virtual reality. Songs such as Happy Days are Here Again, offered hope of new days ahead, and the theme song for the Franklin Roosevelts successful presidential campaign (Corbett,