The Farm Crisis, 1919-1923

Study of the abiding farm question in twentieth-century United States history has directed the author's attention to the period 1919-1923 as a turning point in the great economic, political, and social trends of agriculture. As a result of an accumulation of ills and of sharp dislocations caused by World War I, particularly in its world economic position, agriculture was placed in a position of inequality and thrown into a long-lasting depression. This crisis damaged the agricultural industry and the farm population, altered the position of agriculture in relation to the rest of the economy, shifted ideas concerning rural well-being, and established definite lines of farm policy. The purpose of this study is to examine the changes that took place and the attempts of agriculture to improve its status through self-help and political action. The historical approach to the farm crisis, with its general view, should help the reader to recognize continuing problems and to plan for their correction or acceptance. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1957.