The Great Depression Essay - 1234 Words

The Causes of the Great Depression The cause of the Great Depression has been debated for many years. The actual cause of the Great Depression is a multitude of factors, there was no single cause. Several reasons for the Great Depression were supply and demand, the banking system, wages of workers, success and failure of business, government policy, excessive speculation in the stock market and the unequal distribution of wealth between the rich and the middle class. While there are many theories to what caused the Great Depression; all of these factors played a role in the Great Depression. The European nations industry had been devastated during the war and they relied on the United States for most goods. The†¦show more content†¦There was still a major gap in income of the rich and middle class. The top 0.1% of Americans in 1929 had a combined income equal to the bottom 42% of Americans, while 80% of the people had no savings at all (McElvaine 38). The average income for the farmer was only $273 compared to the average national income of $750 (McElvaine 21). By 1929 the productivity of the American industry had risen 43 percent while the wages only increase 8 percent (McElvaine 39). The American worker had enjoyed the 1920s as an era that was filled with new inventions, the radio, automobile, electric irons, and refrigerators were in every home. The average American worker could not afford to buy these items, but they could if they made small weekly or monthly payments. Convincing Americans to go against traditional values was difficult, but the adver tising industry convinced them they could (McElvaine 41). The average worker in America was living in poverty, making about $24.76 a week. Most Americans did not have much money to loose when the stock market crashed; they had no savings and no investments. The people who lost the most were the wealthy investors (McElvaine 17). Speculation in the 1920’s caused many to invest money they did not have. The stock market was a â€Å"Bull Market in the 1920s, it seemed that it would never end. Hoping to get rich, people from all walks of life were buying up stocks. The boomShow MoreRelatedThe Depression Of The Great Depression1223 Words   |  5 Pagesfar-reaching consequences as the Great Depression. This experience was the most extended and severe depression of the Western world. It was an economic downturn that began in 1929 and lasted until 1939. A large amount of America’s labor force lost their jobs and suffered during this crisis. During the nation’s financial disaster, Franklin Delano Roosevelt became president and made extensive changes to America’s political structure. The effects of the Great Depression had lasting consequences that areRead MoreThe Depression Of The Great Depression1232 Words   |  5 Pagespeople think that the stock crash was to blame for the Gr eat Depression but that is not correct. Both the crash and depression were the result of problems with the economy that were still underneath society s minds. The depression affected people in a series of ways: poverty is spreading causing farm distress, unemployment, health, family stresses and unfortunately, discrimination increases. America tended to blame Hoover for the depression and all the problems. When the 1932 election came peopleRead MoreThe Great Depression Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: The world had faced two main economic problems. The first one was the Great Depression in the early of 20th Century. The second was the recent international financial crisis in 2008. The United States and Europe suffered severely for a long time from the great depression. The great depression was a great step and changed completely the economic policy making and the economic thoughts. It was not only an economic situation bit it was also miserable making, made people more attentionRead MoreThe Depression Of The Great Depression2071 Words   |  9 PagesPaul Von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor on the 30th January 1933. The Depression did play a vital role in this, however other factors such as the Nazis propaganda, the resentment of the Weimar republic and the political situation of 1932-1933 also contributed to his success. Before the Great Depression, the Nazis gained 12 seats and 2.6% of the vote in the May election of 1928. Despite this, by July 1932, Hitler gained 230 seats and 37.3% of the vote in the Reichstag. This is a dramaticRead MoreThe Great Depression1292 Words   |  6 PagesBefore the crash Before the start of the great depression the United States was a country of great economic wealth, with new technology being invented and a boom in industry. Due to a boom in America’s Industry because of World War One the economy was at an all-time high with a tremendous amount of prosperity. Following the end of world war one the industrial might that America had was being used for peaceful, domestic purposes instead of being used for violence and war. New technologies like carsRead MoreThe Great Depression1731 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920’s was a decade of discovery for America. As mentioned in â€Å"who was roaring in the twenties? —Origins of the great depression,† by Robert S. McElvaine America suffered with the great depression due to several factors but it managed to stay prosperous at the end. In â€Å"America society and culture in the 1920’s,† by David A. Shannon there was much more to the great depression. It was a time of prosperity an economic change. Women and men were discovering who they were and their value to societyRead MoreThe Great Depression1551 Words   |  6 PagesThe G reat Depression was one of the most devastating events recorded in history. The nation as a whole plummeted in one economic downfall. Few individuals escaped the effects of the depression. The hardship of unemployment and the loss of homes and farms were a large portion of the pain caused by the economic crisis. Through all of these sufferings, women had a large impact on society. Women faced heavy discrimination and social criticism during the Depression Even though through research it is provenRead MoreThe Great Depression1186 Words   |  5 Pagesfriends is the true definition of of what the Great Depression really was. It was a time that most people want to never remember or ever happen again. You would think the United States would have learned from their mistakes but it seems we are going down the same road once again without even taking a step back and realizing it. When people talk about the Great Depression not a single person will have anything good to say about it. It ca used families a great deal of pain that they will never forget. WithRead MoreThe Great Depression1368 Words   |  6 PagesAfter WW1 the Great Depression had a very late impact on the major film companies in France, when it did, it unfortunately caused several film studios to go bankrupt, then in the late 1920’s to 1930’s many small film companies and groups emerged giving birth to the tendency called poetic realism. Because the large companies who made films with a focus on making money were gone the filmmakers and artists were able to concern themselves with the art of film, they often took poetic innovations thatRead MoreGreat Depression7197 Words   |  29 PagesGreat Depression From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia {draw:frame} Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, centering on Florence Owens Thompson, age 32, a mother of seven children, in Nipomo, California, March 1936. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression) in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s