Political Science

The American civil war and the Great Depression have been regarded as the most trying times for America and indeed the world at large. The Civil war was the first event of the two to take place and occurred between the years 1861-1865. The war was between America and 11 other states which were opposed to abolition of slavery following a declaration by President Abraham Lincoln in the Emancipation Proclamation. This paper looks at some of the effects that the civil war and the Great Depression had especially on the federal government and the citizens (Robbins, L. 54-58).

The Great Depression came after the civil war which saw America divided into tow regions with one region(the south) totally opposed to abolition slavery while the other region(north) supported the move. The great depression was an event in the economic history of the world as all nations were affected. It was a period that saw massive layoffs, people went without food and clothing and basic amenities became difficult to obtain. Big companies were closed down and securing employment was a nightmare.

There were many effects that came as a result of the great depression which was actually an effect of the Civil War in America. To begin with the international trade went down as there was a sharp decline in the revenues from taxes, personal incomes and profits (Robbins, L. 102-108)..
Equally the relationship between the federal government and the citizens was greatly affected. During the great depression there was a public outcry that the government was not performing and that it had left its citizens to suffer. The effects of the great depression politically were quite profound. In countries like Japan, military governments rose to power during this period. It was during this period that Americans perception about life totally changed. The government in America had to come up with new policies and laws that saw the government get enormous powers than at any other time in the history of America.

President D. Roosevelt who came into power in the year 1933 came up with a new program that came to be known as the New Deal that was aimed at helping Americans rise from the effects of the Great Depression by tackling issues of unemployment and lack of basic social amenities (Robbins, L. 121-127).

During the Great Depression farmers abandoned their farms and there was massive migration from the rural areas into urban areas in search of better things. As a result of this massive migration there was overpopulation in the urban areas and availability of social amenities became scarce. It was also through the New Deal that was introduced by President Roosevelt that saw the government become more involved in peoples lives in great levels than was the case. This has remained even in the present day America.

The Great Depression also saw strict regulations being imposed on banks to ensure protection of customers as many people lost their money in banks and stock0 markets during the great depression ((Robbins, L. 184-188).

In conclusion the Great Depression which came after the Civil War in America played a key role in causing changes between the federal government and citizens and also other groups inn the society. Despite the negative effects of the great depression there are some positive changes that can be attributed to the economic effect which are still operational even in the present day America.