The 1930s were a decade of community and class consciousness unprecedented in American history. A 1937 poll revealed that the majority of impoverished Americans did not "think that today any young man with thrift, ability, and ambition has the opportunity to rise in the world, own his own home, and earn $5,000 a year." The traditional radical individualism of most Americans was abandoned, and people began to conceive of themselves as parts of communities and distinct interest groups. This consciousness was an important component of many of the important political events of the decade, responsible for the repeal of Prohibition, the success of labor organizations and strikes, the passage of the Social Security Act, and the creation of the federal bureaucracy. Most important, however, the collective consciousness Americans developed in the 1930s was instrumental in providing the social cohesion necessary to carry the United States through.....
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