Limits to the boom

Limits to the boom

Farmers

- Agricultural boom during WW1 - Europe devastated by armed conflict. US agricultural prices rose by 82% 1913-17.

- Once war over, recovery of European agriculture = demand for US exports dropped = agricultural prices in US also dropped.

- Technological advances: combine harvester increased productivity in cereal production but led to increasing unemployment among farm workers. Part of unemployment problem offset by growth of towns + cities. 1929 = more Americans lived in urban rather than rural areas for first time.

- South-eastern USA - dominant crop cotton affected by appearance of pest - boll…