Depression v. Recession

Many people these days say we are in the Second Depression. I say we are so far from it just by looking at the numbers. Sure there are a lot of unemployed people at this time but it is nothing like in the 1930's. Right now (2008) we are at an unemployment rate of 8% as where in 1929-1933 we hit bottom at 255, and that is on average. Stocks have obviously gone way down but it isn't another crash. The biggest decline of the Dow Jones Industrial during this recession was 53.8% (Oct. 9, 2007- March 9, 2009) as where the biggest decline during the Depression was 89.2% (Sept. 3, 1929 – July 8, 1932). Bank failures right now are sitting at about 0.6%, around 50, and during the Great Depression it was 50% or roughly 9,000 banks. The economic decline now is 3.3% and then was 26.3%, an astonishing 23% difference. The change in prices then was down 25% as where now it is up 0.5% still in the black. The Largest difference, though, is the difference in the increase of money supply by the Federal Reserve. In 1933 the increase reached 17% as where in the span of September 2008 – May 2009 it skyrocketed to 125%.

The New Deal: Radical or No?

The New Deal, Roosevelt's plan to come out of the Great Depression was seen by many as radical and scared even more people than that. It at first was more ideas and theories and not an actual plan. Later on it consisted of make new groups like the CCC and NRA to pull people off the streets and give them jobs and things to do. The theory was that if they could put money in the people's pocket then they would put it in the government's pocket. I think that is wasn't the idea of the New Deal was not as radical as the reaction. People rushed to the banks and pulled all of their money out and that is what lead to the collapse of the banking system. The idea of it, to fix the country in essence, wasn't radical it was just different from what the people were used to.

Reflection Essay

World War I, originally name The War to End War, was gruesome and bloody. Things like trench warfare and gas attacks were made popular in this war. Millions died, borders of countries changed, new countries formed, and the world as it was known was forever changed.

One thing that scared me was the use of gas. From phosgene to chlorine to mustard gas was widely used. And they all were nasty. Chlorine gas could cause you to slowly lose the ability to breathe and last as long three days as it mentions here from the text, "…remaining conscious to within five minutes of death…" Mustard gas basically ate you and your body alive as it said in the text, "...it began to rot the body…" One thing that just generally shocked me was how insane some of the men went. From the carnage and the acts they were forced to commit a many a times they lost their mind. "Men gradually lost control of themselves as the strain mounted."

The War to End War in all senses failed its namesake purpose. It did not end war in history in the end it only fueled more. It created enemies of many countries. It paved the long, arduous, and bloody path for what would be World War II and many other wars to follow.

Diary Entries: Jaques Sassoon

16 April 1915

Jaques Sassoon

15:05

M.A.S.H. Unit somewhere in French territory

 

 

This morning I was shot in the back of the leg. It was a pain I cannot even describe. They say I will be back in action in two weeks or so. The doctor who operated on me is a real character. Everyone around here calls him by a name of a character in one of James Fennimore Cooper's novels, but for the life of me I cannot remember it. My nurse is sure a beauty her name is Margret but Mr. B.J. and his friend, my doc here, call her Hotlips. I much rather this to her real name she sure is a beauty.

 

I really hope they are wrong about getting me back out there. I hate this war and just wanna head home. I miss my parents and siblings. Well 'Hotlips' says it is time for bed.

 

Jaques

23 April 1915

Jaques Sasson

19:47

M.A.S.H. Unit somewhere in French territory

 

Just this morning many of our men returned from the Second Battle of Ypres. All of them have gone crazy. If not form the gas used upon them it is from fear of it. This is the first time we have seen this tactic used upon anyone. It scares me to return to the battlefield. Just last week I was shot in the leg. They say I will be back there in a week or so. I don't see how this is possible I cannot even stand on my own yet.

I spoke with Gregory my fellow comrade he said that it was the most terrible thing he ever experienced. That was mere hours after he returned. Fewer hours than that he was bedridden with horrid blisters covering his body. His face was only contorted in pain and he was unable to speak. I have not seen him since then and feel as if I won't ever see him again. Well the ever beautiful 'Hotlips' says it is time for me to kip in, so I must put this away for now and hopefully tomorrow I will have time to write more.

 

Jaques

 

26 May 1915

Jaques Sassoon

2:36

M.A.S.H. Unit somewhere in French territory

 

 

Today is my first day back. My leg ended up infected and so it took longer than expected to get back here, thank god. I almost forgot the horrid stench of walking in the bile, vomit, and feces of other men, almost. I cannot even sleep tonight. Instead of a nice pillow like the past month now I have a solid rock and instead of a nice pre-warmed blanket I have my blood stained and muddy uniform to shiver in.

 

The rations have decreased in size and quality since I was last on the front line. Besides that not much really changed. People die an all sides, we all use gas now. You're lucky to go to bed at night and wake up each morning. I have prayed more here than ever before in my life. I hope if I make it out that I make it out with my mind intact. I had better attempt sleep for the Germans do not wait for use to wake up to begin the attack.

 

Jaques

 

J.P. Morgan-Captain of Industry

In my opinion, J.P. Morgan was definitely a Captain of Industry. I say this for many reasons the first is that Morgan single handily went in bought out many small companies that were failing turned them around and made huge moneymaking corporations out of them. He also controlled a lot of the railroad and made huge profits out of that. I would say though the two biggest reasons why this is, is because he also bought controlling interest in many U.S. banks and insurance companies and helped America resurface after the financial crises in the lat 1800. Secondly bought out the largest steel company in America and made it even bigger and it paid in dividends even long after he was gone. There are traces of Morgan left even today with companies such as G.E. People accused him of wrongly getting the money he did and even called him a thief and yet he, almost completely by himself, turned America’s financial status of the time completely around and changing forever the American industry

New Years

In the next year, 2010, I will read the chapters better. By rereading sections and taking notes. I also will study for longer periods of times and also with the aforementioned notes. I will do my best to answer the questions on the study guides more in depth so when a test rolls around I can use them more then i already do. Also with the study guides even when not assigned I will make sure that I can define all the terms at least in my head. Finally the night before a test I will go through the chapter again and attempt to set up a study group for that night so we can all help each other out.

Black Hawk EC pt 3

Both Black Hawk and Dodge think of themselves and their side as the winner and the other side as the loser. Though both sustained losses they also both gained something and they both pointed this out. In the articles again both make it seem like the other side lost and that the other side were the "bad" guys and that they were the "good" guys. Besides the outcome they both were in very close agreement of what actually happened tactical wise.