Politics: The 1930 Elections

Congressional Election Issues.

The stock-market crash of October 1929 set the tone for the congressional elections of 1930. With more than five million people unemployed, fear and uncertainty gripped large portions of the electorate. Democrats campaigned primarily on the issue of the economy, accusing the Republican president and the Republican-controlled Congress of failing to deal with the yearlong economic downturn. Prohibition was a secondary, but important, issue in the states. Alignment for or against Prohibition was nonpartisan, some Democrats and some Republicans falling on either side of the issue, The New York Times estimated that prior to the 1930 elections 344 members of the House of Representatives supported Prohibition, but after the elections only 298 congressmen-elect supported it.

Democratic Gains.

The elections resulted in a severe setback for the Republican Party, which barely maintained...

[The entire page is 599 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass