The Great Depression: California in the Thirties

California was hit hard by the economic collapse of the 1930s. Businesses failed, workers lost their jobs, and families fell into poverty. While the political response to the depression often was confused and ineffective, social messiahs offered alluring panaceas promising relief and recovery. In spite of the general gloom of the decade, Californians continued to build and celebrate their Golden State.

Hard Times
 Boom and Bust
 Pipe City
 The Crash of the Macon
 Deportees
 Dust Bowl Refugees
 John Steinbeck
 Dorothea Lange
 An "Okie subculture"
 Total Engagement
 The San Francisco General Strike

The Politics of Depression
 "Sunny Jim"
 Upton Sinclair
 Olson's New Deal

Panaceas
 Sister Aimee
 Technocrats and Utopians
 Ham 'n' Eggs
 The Townsend Plan

Building California
 The Los Angeles Olympics
 Hoover Dam
 Bridging the Bay
 Standing Tall
 Treasure Island

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