preview

Great Depression Impact

Decent Essays

During the 1920s the New York Stock Exchange was a bustling place where many were investing and making money on their returns. Many made fortunes purchasing stocks and waiting for the value to escalate and then immediately selling them thereby making a profit. Suddenly the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 eliminating 40% of the value of common stock in America. Stock prices plummeted as investors rushed to sell their assets before they lost everything. This was the start of The Great Depression. Many had lost their life savings after the collapse. Citizens lost confidence in the capitalistic economy and by 1933 the value of stock on Wall Street was less than a fifth of what it was in 1929. By the end of the year, investors had …show more content…

The first major impact was that one could not find work. Americans were used to doing an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. Americans before this disaster were used to the independent spirit and belief that if you worked hard you would eventually earn what you wanted or needed. The focus had always been on the individual to go out and work and to succeed. Unfortunately The Great Depression brought a rapid rise in the crime rate as many unemployed workers resorted to petty theft to put food on the table (us.history.org). Many Americans found themselves going to soup kitchens and willingly accepting charity. This type of help came from volunteer organizations or churches as there was no type of government assistance at the time. There was also a major rise in suicide, malnutrition, and alcoholism. Many people could not cope with the dire situation, many were starving, and those that could get alcohol used it as an escape from reality. Cities across the country had to cope with rapidly declining tax revenues and heighted demands for food, clothing, and shelter. Businesses closed, factories shut down, and banks failed. Suddenly an American’s existence was more a fight for

Get Access