Context of A Streetcar Named Desire

The Civil War: 

Blanche represents the southern states in the play while Stanley is the North, both with different ways of doing things. Between 1861-1865, America fought a civil war over the direction of the country. Many economic and social issues divided the south from the North at the time, but Preisdent Lincoln's intent to prevent slavery pushed it. The war was fought by the South, Led by President Jefferson Davies and his Commander of the Confederate Army, Robert E. Lee, and the Union states, led President Abraham Lincoln and His Commander of the Union Army (and later president), Ulysees S. Grant. Lincoln was assassinated during this war at a theatre, meaning that the reprecussions forced upon the south by his successor Andrew Johnson. This put the south into more dissarray for many years to come.

The Great Depression: 

The Great Depression was an economic crash in the 1930's. The play is set after this period of time, but could explain why Blanche lost Belle Reve. The crash revolved around a devaluing of currency. When Germany lost the war, the Allies forced harsh economic repayments on them, amounting to billions of marks. America agreed to lend them the money to pay France and England back, but they then also paid back America for all the equipment they had recieved in the war. Eventually hyperinflation took place and the value of the gold in the banks crashed, meaning that money was less and less valuable, until it was virtually worthless. This is often cited as one of the main factors in Hitler's rise to power in Germany. The south was hit hard and…