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Steinbeck lived through some very significant times. 1902-1968 takes you through World War I, the stock market boom, the stock market crash, the Great Depression, World War II, etc. Of these, the Great Depression definitely had the most influence on his works, as his most highly critically acclaimed works, e.g. The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men and Tortilla Flat were centered around the Great Depression.
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929. It quickly spread throughout the world (like a plague), and, because of qualities the various countries possessed, was better or worse. One in four Americans were unemployed, and farmers, miners, and loggers were particularly hard hit. All three aforementioned novels were centered around farmhands driven away from the farms by the Depression. During the Depression, people who were forced out of their homes lived in "Hoovervilles," named for President Hoover, who only succeeded in making the Depression even worse. Banks everywhere failed. International trade declined by half. Most countries set up relief programs, and had some sort of political upheaval. In Germany, this phenomenon is infamous for propelling Adolf Hitler to power, setting the stage for WWII. In America, FDR was president for 12 years. And in various other countries, revolts, riots, and civil wars sprang up. World War II fished most countries out of the Depression. We ought to thank Hitler for that.
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929. It quickly spread throughout the world (like a plague), and, because of qualities the various countries possessed, was better or worse. One in four Americans were unemployed, and farmers, miners, and loggers were particularly hard hit. All three aforementioned novels were centered around farmhands driven away from the farms by the Depression. During the Depression, people who were forced out of their homes lived in "Hoovervilles," named for President Hoover, who only succeeded in making the Depression even worse. Banks everywhere failed. International trade declined by half. Most countries set up relief programs, and had some sort of political upheaval. In Germany, this phenomenon is infamous for propelling Adolf Hitler to power, setting the stage for WWII. In America, FDR was president for 12 years. And in various other countries, revolts, riots, and civil wars sprang up. World War II fished most countries out of the Depression. We ought to thank Hitler for that.