What was happening politically during the time that john steinbeck was writing?

This was the period of the Great Depression. During this time, many Americans had lost their jobs and income due to the economic decline of the stock market crash. Many of his books during this period dealt with the hardships that people face and the things they resort to just to get by. This can be seen in his book The Grapes of Wrath which was the Best Selling Book of 1939 and later made into a critically acclaimed film that nominated for several academy awards. Other works that dealt with the depression is Of Mice and Men that was also adapted into film.