The Great Depression
Trent, Kip, Meghan, and Brittany
The Great Depression: An Interactive Video
Summary
During the Roaring Twenties, many Americans enjoyed what seemed like an endless era of prosperity.Then, in October 1929, the mighty bull market crashed. As production fell and unemployment rose, the U.S economy lurched into a period of dramatic decline, The Great Depression. The 1920s was a decade of bull markets and new fortunes. However, by 1929, the surging American economy was on the brink of financial collapse. Soaring stock prices made rich people richer and concentrated more wealth into fewer hands. Excited by a stream of new products and buyer-friendly payment plans, consumers piled up huge debts as they purchased goods on credit. Everywhere, the economy expanded, soaring toward its peak in the summer of 1929 and then pausing on the verge of contraction and economic chaos.
Three interesting facts
- By 1940, 2.5 million people fled to the Great Plains. Roughly 200,000 moved to California.
- Thousands of homeless families camped out on the great lawn at central park in New York City, which was an empty reservoir during the Great Depression.
- Comic strips like Superman, Flash Gordon, and Dick Tracy kept children entertained during the Great Depression.
Questions to consider
1. The Great Depression was the deepest and longest lasting economic downturn in the history of the western industrialized world. Began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929 until 1939.
2. Some causes of the Great Depression are the stock market crash of 1929, bank failures, reduction in purchasing across the board, american economic policy with Europe, and drought conditions.
3. Everyone was affected by the Great Depression. Many people lost their jobs, homes, children were deprived, and loss of education.