why didn't the Americans turn to Socialism or Communism during the Great Depression?

Answer 1

FDRs programmes of goverment works were socialist in a way. Everyone knows that; prior to that, the government hadn't ever lent a hand or promoted actions that stimulated the economy or the populace.

That said, let's keep in mind that America had already been anti-communist for a while. Remember the Red Scare of 1919? That sort of thing made a communist revolution less likely to occur, since the nation was already brainwashed into instantly demonising anything that branded itself as a socialist or communist.

Answer 2

We did in great part.

Social Security is the remnant of that time. But the public works programs have gone by the way side for the most part. There may be more people working for the government now than then - well, usually they could only work a short time - a year or two.

I think the short answer is that when the boom came after the war, it was more profitable to be a capitalist than a socialist.

Answer 3

I think that we don't often understand the difference in capitalism, socialism, and communism. like the kids are growing up to believe in mental illnesses today and the propaganda is now in the schools, when I was a child the propaganda was the cold red wars. We were taught how to be afraid of those kinds of people and they stood supposedly against every thing that we were supposed to be for. They were also always going to nuke us, we have bomb shelter drills. I also grew up where we had sit ins outside of the school that I lived next too.

I wish that people would actually take the time to learn rather then "believe" in the first thing that the next man jumped on and have real reasons why they said the things that they did when they were being judgmental of others motives. Many don't.

This new mental illness is just another form of communism and I am afraid that it has this country in its clutches and I am afraid that people will wake up one day, but the day that they do it is going to be too late.

I wish that America would wake up and come out of it now and realize what freedom really means. My dad fought for it and he taught it to me, I didn't understand it when he tried to make it sink in.

He is gone now and I do understand, I wish he was here so I could talk to him. There are a lot of things that he could explain to me I bet. He was a WWII purple heart veteran and it meant some thing to him going through what he went through. He was a different kind of a person, but many different kinds of people respected him for it. He was funny too.

Answer 4

It just seems that, bottom line, Americans just firmly believe in the Constitution and the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the design and sacrifice for it. Not only did FDR implement some socialistic programs, but several of the millionaires of Wall Street did implement some forms of trying to keep the Stock Market going, and getting it back on it's feet. That's just one of the byproducts of a market system; it will have it's up & down cycles, but seems to always recover and restabilize. And don't forget that there were the anarchists who tried to unionize and bring down any form of government that was present. They were tried, imprisoned, and sometimes executed.

Everyone likes routine day-to-day events. When something comes along and upsets the applecart of tranquility, people wake up from their sleep, and implement the programs they feel best will return things to their "status quo". That is one of the reasons why it is difficult to make changes in the Iraqui theatre. Even when Saddam was in charge, people were complascent when he did not directly effect them, and they were satisfied. Now Saddam is gone, and every tribe wants the largest piece of the pie so that they can return to their own ideals of their "comfort zone".

People just want peace & quiet & the ability to lead their lives without undo stress and persecution. It doesn't matter who is in charge.

012907 5:20

Answer 5

Some did in Hollywood.
Funny, the Rich people turned to Communism.
I always found that strange.
Just like the Rich Democrat Politicians now want Socialism/Communism.

Answer 6

Heller ... An excellent, excellent question.

Communism was out of the question, I'd guess. And although they probably didn't want to call it socialism, some of the programs that existed during that time period, not to mention Social Security, were a small step in that direction.

While there are fewer "make-work programs," we still have Social Security and many other entitlement progams have since been created ... and are "flourishing," so to speak.

Answer 7

WE as a people don't think like that. Communism is a dirty word to most of us, the red army of the first great war and such. Socialism smacks of Marxism and loss of freedom. WE may on occasion get down but NEVER count us out.

Answer 8

It did to a point, Social secuity came out of the great depression, there were also some work programs that were started. Repuglicans have been trying to kill social security since that time. I am glad that they have been failures at that.

Answer 9

notwithstanding Hitler supported Capitalism, his authorities become faraway from it, regulation higher less than his reign, and some industries which contain the hands marketplace, automobile marketplace, and some others were right now managed by technique of the authorities, so we received't blame capitalism for what befell there. each and every of the others won't be able to be blamed for Capitalism as well. - the finished melancholy become partly brought about by technique of the Federal Reserve gadget, havent you realized that earlier the FRS got here into play we in user-friendly words had small economic hiccups each and every so often which contain the panic of 1873. earlier the FRS got here into play the dollar rose 8% from 1776 to 1911 (the starting up of the FRS), in the present day it has lost very almost 97% of its cost. u.s. has no longer had capitalism for very almost one hundred years, there is too a lot regulation from the state to proceed calling it Capitalism, no longer declaring regulation would not have its position. -As for Africa, capitalism won't be able to be blamed both, its no longer economics thats killing human beings, notwithstanding the lack of ability to create a strong authorities. at the same time as consistent conflict ensues human beings can't strengthen the economy and instead ought to spend time, money and recourses to practice for conflict. seem how the united statesdeveloped its economy in relative peace, the occasional conflict become short, and not in any respect fought on any major places the position economic pastime device position, short wars which contain WWI, the Civil conflict honestly spurred call for, and inspired boom. you want relative peace to strengthen an economy, conflict, racks up authorities debt, will improve taxes, and decreases man or woman freedom. that's why Africa is suffering. -As for each of the u.s. examples you contain, capitalism won't be able to be blamed both, because its merely an economic gadget, what the united statesturned into doing become getting in touch contained in the politics of alternative countries, some thing outdoors the area of economics. - Now communism is a soco-political and fiscal gadget. It no longer in user-friendly words concerns about recourses and how they are spent, notwithstanding the loyalty of human beings to the state, that's the position all those deaths come from, as some everybody isn't unswerving no count number what. *be at liberty to communicate me, I partly wrote this because i want to communicate

Answer 10

They actually did in some ways. Check out Huey Long's "Every Man a King" speech. Very socialist. Very Populist too.

Check out the song that Huey Long had written to try to sway the masses. The man was way ahead of his time. Completely corrupt, but very wiley.

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/hist409/long/share.html