This paper will present a brief summary and discussion of the causes of the Great Depression based on Frank Stricker 's paper, "Causes of the Great Depression: or What Reagan doesn 't know about the 1920s." Stricker presents an argument as to what he believes to be the root causes of the Great Depression as they relate to the decade preceding the stock market crash of 1929. This review is intended for undergraduate and graduate students of U.S. American History. Stricker present 's several essential points in his paper. The capitalist form of economy, by its nature, has an insatiable appetite for ever-increasing profits. During the 1920 's profits were high, yet income distribution was unequal (95). The only real benefactors were …show more content…
Big business was sinking "big" money in loans to speculators because loan returns usually exceeded gains made by reinvesting in their own businesses. However, the confidence ended suddenly and sellers began significantly outnumbering buyers. As profits and savings declined from the resulting low stock prices, both speculators and big business cut back on investments and focused on paying off old debts, thus the market fell in 1929 (108). Stricker also argues that the problem relates to the Government 's fooling itself on the true unemployment rates and the health of the market. The published government estimates of unemployment were 2.2 to 5 percent. Stricker proposes that the numbers were far higher, 7.5 to 12 percent (102). Additionally, the impact of low-income growth may not have been fully appreciated. Based on the low growth of income for the average laborer (2.8 percent over the period 1924-1929) this equated, as discussed in this paper, to a 4 percent decline in income over the same period (104). Little of the "benefits of rising productivity went to wages" - though corporate profits rose 35 percent during the decade (101). Stricker 's paper "Causes of the Great Depression: or What Reagan doesn 't know about the 1920 's," presents a convincing argument to the real causes of the Great Depression. He presents a handful of interrelated issues that worked in concert with
In conclusion, the Great Depression had many contributing factors, and the Great Crash of 1929 was not the sole cause. The “Dust Bowl” was a major factor in the Depression, and foreign affairs as well as banking failures were important contributions
The prosperity of the 1920’s came to an abrupt halt when the stock market crashed in 1929. The cause of the Great Depression was triggered by a combination of reasons. Americans had been assured in their faith of a booming economy that they bought numerous items on credit. Ultimately the amount of products bought on credit reached an astounding $7 billion(4). With easy access to credit due to the government’s low interest rates, people had bought all of the new automobiles and radios without actually having the finances to pay for them. Beyond that, billions were poured into the stock market to make quick profit, which caused problems because it inflated the stocks to where they were selling for more than they were essentially worth. As if the stock market was not unstable enough, margin buying added to the danger of the stock market collapse because people were purchasing stocks with borrowed money. When the stock market collapsed, brokers demanded but were unable
Failure of the banks was a great contributor to the depression. Because of the distrust in the banks after the stock market crash in 1929, many Americans pulled out all of their money, which meant that the banks could not lend out money because they did not have it. And so the economy plummeted into an all time low. Many Americans were left penniless even though many of them saved up money. Document G shows how many Americans felt about how they had saved money but still lost everything to the depression. The 1920’s was a very successful decade for America because of its strong bull market. Advertising, along with installment buying led to an astronomical growth in the economy because Americans were buying more than ever before. Installment
Reed’s book, Great Myths of the Great Depression, attempts to argue that the stock market crash of 1929 was merely a normal economic occurrence. Instead, it was government policies enacted in response that exacerbated and prolonged the economic effects of the crash. In effect, Reed’s thesis flips the conventional view on its head: instead of being the cause, free-market capitalism would have naturally solved the issues that led to the Great Depression. Conversely, government intervention was a cause of, rather than a solution to, the economic hardships that resulted.
Don Nardo, a renowned writer and historian, has written many books about American history. He is also the book editor of this publication. This book is compiled with various essays written by scholars regarding the Great Depression. Each essay relates to the next, and the book as a whole therefore aims to inform the reader of This source is valuable because it includes many accounts and viewpoints of several individuals, therefore the reader can see where the writer of the essay is basing their opinions on. One limitation is that since there are so many different viewpoints presented in this book, it may confuse the reader when it comes to searching for a definite answer.
The great Depression was the worst economic slump in US history, beginning in 1929 it lasted almost a decade. Leuchtenburg suggests “there was no single cause of the Great crash and ensuing depression”, however the most influential reasons for the Great depression was a culmination between the unequal distribution of income and the extensive speculation of the 1920s. Underlining these two dominant influences was the republican government practises of the 1920’s under Harding, Coolidge and Hoover Governments. The Republican economic policies of the 1920 are contributed significantly to the Great Depression.
Herbert Hoover got many things wrong about the great economic calamity that destroyed his presidency and his historical reputation, but he got one thing right. Much legend to the contrary, the Great Depression was not entirely, perhaps not even principally, made in America. “The primary cause of the Great Depression, “was the war of 1914–1918.”
America’s Great Depression is believed as having begun in 1929 with the Stock Market crash, and ending in 1941 with America’s entry into World War II. In order to fully comprehend the repercussions and devastating effects of the Crash of 1929, it is important to examine the factors that contributed to the catastrophic event which led to The Great Depression. The Great Depression was the worst economic slump in U.S. history, and it spread to most of the industrialized world. Many factors played a role in bringing about the depression; however, the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920s, and the
Many people speculate that the stock market crash of 1929 was the main cause of The Great Depression. In fact, The Great Depression was caused by a series of factors, and the effects of the depression were felt for many years after the stock market crash of 1929. By looking at the stock market crash of 1929, bank failures, reduction of purchasing, American economic policy with Europe, and drought conditions, it becomes apparent that The Great Depression was caused by more than just the stock market crash. The effects were detrimental beyond the financial crisis experienced during this time period.
Imagine that you received a huge bonus from your occupation that compensates almost $50,000 a year. You go to your bank to cash your paycheck, only to have the bank clerk disclose that they do not have your money. The financial institution went belly up, losing all the money within it because of external sources. This paper discusses the reason behind the Great Depression and distinct policies generated to mend the American financial system that began when the stock market crashed October 29, 1929.
The nineteen-twenties displayed an amazing advancement of the world economy as production, industry, and the stock market all were in overall good shape, until nineteen-twenty nine. The Stock Market crash in October of nineteen-twenty nine, started the worst economic crisis the entire world has seen. However, the crash wasn’t the only factor that contributed to the economic depression until the mid-nineteen forties. There were several other factors that extended and aided in the longevity of the economic downfall including banking crisis, agricultural industry, tariffs, distribution of wealth, and total reduction of consumption spending in order to rationalize the idea that the stock market crash wasn’t the only variable that caused The Great Depression and the struggles that followed.
and put the blame on. In the late 1920’s the american stock value dropped immensely leading to the immediate fall of the U.S. economy, which started the depression. From small to big business most of the institutions that depended on the economy fail down one by one. This downfall immediately led to the exponential change in the unemployment rate from 3 % in 1929 to 23 % in 1932. American’s across the country did not just lose their jobs but also their entire savings and homes,following the crash of banks and financial institution. Many americans became homeless and had nothing to eat. They would stand in
On July 2, 1932, at the Democratic National Convention, the crowd listened intently to the phrase,” I pledge you, I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people.” The New Deal name was soon applied to the program of reform and recovery instituted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. During the early part of the Great Depression, the economy had ground to a halt as a result of the stock market crashing and the unemployment rates skyrocketed as businesses shut down. Only a very small portion of the population actually held stock. The cause of the Great Depression was really a result of shallow economical prosperity. Most of the farmers and other industries struggled in the 1920’s. Low prices, suppressed wages and
The economic expansion of the 1920’s, with its increased production of goods and high profits, culminated in immense consumer speculation that collapsed with disastrous results in 1929 causing America’s Great Depression. There were a number or contributing factors to the depression, with the largest and most important one being a general loss of confidence in the American economy. The reason it escalated was a general misunderstanding of recessions by American policymakers of the time.
The Great Depression in the US that lasted from 1929 to 1939 is considered as one of the most devastating economic disasters since the beginning of the 20th century. Even though almost a century has passed since the event, there are still ongoing debates over the major cause of the economic downturn. There is no controversy over the fact that the stock market crash of October 1929 signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. However, economists have proposed various explanations attempting to identify a meaningful cause of the economic downturn, rather than pointing at a particular event. The stock market crash itself does not explain anything about the Great Depression. What the economists are concerned with is the implication of an event such as the stock market crash. For example, they are interested in the change in consumers’ behaviors after the crash, the failure of fiscal and monetary policy to prevent and respond to the economic downturn, and etc. It is precisely the difference in their opinions regarding the implications of the stock market crash that prevents a consensus among them. Even though all economists might have opinions that are slightly different from others’, the explanations can generally be classified into two mainstream hypotheses. The first hypothesis is the spending hypothesis which blames the shocks to the IS (investment-savings) curve as a major contributor to the Great Depression. The