The Great Depression : A Lesson

During The Great Depression, the New Deal Instituted many programs where some had many accomplishments some many failures and some had both accomplishments and failures. The programs that had the greatest impact of the Great Depression were the creation of the securities and exchange commission, The works Progress Administration, the Fireside Chats, and the Wagner Act. The programs that had some accomplishments and failures were the civilian conservation corps, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the institution of the Social Security. Lastly, the program that had nothing but failures was the Court Packing Plan.

The Great Depression originated in the United States with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929. The depression was the biggest economic fall in American’s history. This crash stretched throughout the globe and affected the rich as well as the poor. There were many causes that assisted in bringing the depression into existence. However one of the main causes was the disproportionate riches during the nineteen-twenties. The gap between the rich and the working class people was the enlarged industrialize production during this period. Also in this period production cost fell quickly, wages rose slowly and prices remained steady.

The Great Depression was the entire 1920’s in the making. Throughout the twenties, the American people bought goods on credit, but many people were unable to pay back what they had spent. This superficial prosperity was believed to help the economy, but in reality, it weakened the economy by artificially raising the price of stock and causing under consumption in the early 1930’s (Kelly 3). Eventually all of this credit and Speculators caused for the stock market crash, by rigging the economy to fail. High tariffs, like the Hawley-Smoot tariff, caused other nations to be unable to afford trade with America (Kelly 4). The verdict was to buy the expensive American

The Great Depression was a devastating time for many Americans. From 1929 to 1932, the US experienced an economic downturn that was calamitous to the lives of many people. Millions upon millions of Americans lost everything when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929. After exiting an era that left people living a life of luxury, the stock market crash came as a surprise. As a result of the stock market crash, many became unemployed and many families were being forced to close their businesses. Although there were many factors that contributed to the cause of the Great Depression, the three main causes were The Stock Market Crash of 1929, high unemployment, a decrease in consumer purchases due to being “stuffed with stuff” during the roaring twenties.

In the 1920s there was a trend of consumption by the American people, many citizens bought stocks and luxury items on credit rather than cash. This took a terrible turn in 1929 when the stock market crashed on October 29th. This was one of the major events that led to The Great Depression. The Great Depression was also caused by speculation and installment buying, income maldistribution, and overproduction. Each of these topics created serious problems for the economy that ended with debt, unemployment, and poverty.

The causes of the Great Depression in the early 20th century is a matter of active debate between economists. Although the popular belief is that the main cause was the crashing Stock Market in 1929 caused the Great Depression, There were other major economic events that contributed just as much as the crash, such as American’s overextension of credit, an unequal distribution of wealth, over production of goods, and a severe drop in business revenue. As these events transpired the state of economic crisis in the US began to skyrocket.

The election of 1932 focused primarily on the Great Depression, the recent economic crisis that had swallowed the nation. At this time, thirteen million people were unemployed and 774 banks were shutting down annually. Economically unstable, Americans turned to Franklin Delano Roosevelt who claimed, “better days were ahead” with his New Deal reformation. He promised economic “recovery, job creation, investment in public works, and civic uplift” (Harvey 88). Immediately upon entering the white house, he began his 3 R process: relief, recovery, and reform (Bateman and Taylor 73). While this revolution would bring reform to U.S banking systems and help improve unemployment, the restoring of economic stability would go unmet; therefore, we must question the true effectiveness of this reformation. Roosevelt is considered to be one of the nation’s greatest and most influential presidents, yet he did not end the great depression as he was expected to. Was FDR as potent as we credit him to be? By exploring society before the depression, comparing presidents prior to FDR, as well as dissecting the success and failures of his New Deal reconstruction, we can analyze and conclude FDR’s true role in healing the nation.

James Tobin had once stated, “The miserable failures of capitalist economies in the Great Depression were root causes of worldwide social and political disasters” (James Tobin Quotes). America has yet to face the dark ages of failing economy when the stock market crashed in the days of October 1929. From a child to a dying old man, everyone’s lifestyles were changed dramatically by the events of this period, the Great Depression. The Great Depression resulted from a combination of both domestic and worldwide conditions. The depression had afflicted every inch it passed by. Every nation, especially the United States, now have to find a way out.

The Great Depression was a time of great economic tragedy during the 1930’s. October 24, 1929 was the day of the stock market crash, causing economical shortage everywhere, even globally, and this scared everyone, including the rich. This day was/ is known as “Black Thursday”, where over 2.9 million shares were traded. On “Black Tuesday”, five days later, more than 16 million more shares were traded in another wave of panic. Many investors then lost confidence in their banks and demanded deposits in cash which forced the banks to liquidate loans in order to supplement their on hand cash reserves. By 1933, around 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half of the country’s banks had failed. This stopped Americans from purchasing which then led to less production of goods and decreased the amount of needed human labor. In the end, millions of shares ended up worthless, and those investors who had bought stocks with borrowed money were wiped out completely.

The 1960s to many Americans at the time, was, and continues to be referred to as the

Throughout the many years of the Great Depression, the American economy plummeted greatly because of ongoing issues throughout the United States. The American market, and essentially continuously buying, are what keeps an economy in any country moving. The point at issue which allowed the economy to go down consists of three major factors. All three of these aspects took a great amount of citizens down along with all of their profits. Families, businesses, and employees struggled to stay standing during this time period. The American economy suffered this vast plunge because speculation in the stock market, maldistribution of income, and overproduction of goods.

In the 1920s, American economy had a great time. The vast majority of Americans in 1929 foresaw a continuation of the dizzying economic growth that had taken place in most of the decade. However, the prices of stock crested in early September of 1929. The price of stock fell gradually during most of September and early October. On “Black Tuesday” 29 October 1929, the stock market fell by forty points. After that, a historically great and long economic depression started and lasted until the start of the Second World War. The three causes of the Great Depression are installment buying, uneven distribution of wealth and the irrational behavior in the stock market.

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.

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

The Great Depression is a defining moment in time for not only American, but world history. This was a time that caused political, economical, and social unrest. Not only did the Great Depression cause a world wide panic, it also caused a world wide crisis unlike any before it. This paper will analyze both the causes and the effects of the Great Depression in the United States of America.