"Black Thursday." The name itself sends shivers down your spine. October 24, 1929 the New York Stock Exchange crashed signaling the end of the Roaring Twenties and the start of the Great Depression. A depression can be defined as, "a prolonged deep recession." A recession is, "a period during which aggregate output declines." (Case 118) This was certainly quite a change, as in the twenties the economy seemed to be booming around the world. There was rapid increase in industrialization, and drastic improvements in technology. Wages, consumer spending, and stock prices were high and seemed to keep rising. In fact, as people kept buying on margin, (speculating that the upward trend would continue) billions of dollars were invested which did at first keep pushing the stock prices ever higher. People poured their life savings into the market, mortgaged their homes, etc… during this crazed time period. However, it soon happened that this buying craze was followed by an even wilder selling spree. On that fateful day in October prices dropped just about as low as they could get as investors tried selling their holdings. In fact, by the end of the day the New York Stock Exchange had lost $4 billion, taking the exchange clerks working straight until 5 AM the next day to clear all of the transactions that had taken place the previous day. Several days after this, panic occurred as people began to realize just what had happened. Thousands of people were now financially ruined. Many banks that had participated in speculative investments failed as well, and this caused many "run on banks." Each and every player contributed to the downward spiral that was sucking the world into the Great Depression. (Underwood)
However, there is more to the cause of depressions and recessions than just the role of the financial sector and speculative investments. Yet, why do I mention the ideas of a booming economy suddenly becoming a state of despair and perhaps even turning into a recession or depression? In watching the film Roger & Me I feel like Flint, Michigan experienced these events because of the decisions of General Motors. Flint was at first a booming economy, but it soon became one filled with much poverty.
I believe that Roger & Me deals, at least in part, with the issue of
When “Black Tuesday” struck Wall Street on October 29th, 1929 investors traded 16 million shares on the on the New York Stock Exchange in just a day which caused billions of dollars to be lost and thousands of investors who got all their money wiped out. After the fallout of “Black Tuesday” America’s industrialized country fell down into the Great Depression which was one of the longest economic downfalls in history of the Western industrialized world. On “Black Tuesday” stock prices dropped completely. After “Black Tuesday” stock prices couldn’t get any worse or so they thought but however prices continued to drop U.S fell into the Great Depression, and by 1932 stocks were only worth about 20 percent of their value. Due to this economic downfall by 1933 almost half of America’s banks had failed. This was a major economic fallout which resulted in the Great Depression because it caused the economy to lose a lot of money and there was no way to dig themselves out of the hole of
In October 1929, the United States stock market crashed due to panic selling. This crash started a rippling effect that contributed to a world wide economic crisis called the Great Depression. This crash was such a shock because of the economic expansion of the 1920’s when the Dow Jones average reached an all time high of three hundred eighty one. The year 1928 was a time of optimism and the stock market had become a place where everyday people truly believed that they could become rich. People everywhere were talking about the market and newspapers were reporting stories of ordinary people such as chauffeurs, maids, and teachers making millions off the stock market. People who didn’t have the money bought on margin. The stock market was booming and the excitement about the market caused a lot of over speculation. People ignored the small signs of the impending crash until Black Thursday, October 24, 1929. Four days later the stock market fell again.
There were many causes of the Great Depression (need help on the first sentence). Yes, the stock market crash was a main reason of the Depression, but it actually began long before that, with the Roaring 20’s. With such a large disparity between the rich and the poor, the overproduction of goods (too much too quickly), and people racing to buy stocks, it was only fitting that it would soon come to an end. Before it actually crashed, the stock market played an important factor leading up to the Great Depression as well. As people were borrowing money to pay for stocks (on margin), they became more and more in debt, and caused the stock market crash to be a huge surprise to them. During the summer of 1929, an “ordinary recession” occurred, where people stopped buying things and goods piled up, due to their debt. Also, bank firms, which had received record profits during the ’20s, had invested their money into expanding, but as workers were no longer able to continue expanding it, soon had to close. (need help on a thesis statement)
The Great Depression often seems very distant to people of the 21st century. This article is a good reminder of potential problems that may reoccur. The article showed in a very literal way the idea that a depression can bring a growing country to its knees. The overall ramifications of the event were never discussed in detail, but the historical significance is that people's lives were put on hold while they tried to struggle through an extremely difficult time.
There have been many financial corruptions and scandals though out history and in 1869 one such scandal rock The United States financial institute’s foundation. The attempt to corner the gold market lead to the preverbal straw which almost broke the camel’s back. This scandal has become to be known as Black Friday, not to be confused with the Friday following Thanksgiving this Black Friday proved that without oversight of the market it could quickly become a market of the few.
“The Stock Market Crash was the most devastating in history. After World War I it was a period of peace and the crash interrupted it.” (“The Wall Street”). The public demanded deposits from the banks and as they were handing the cash over little did they know it was leading to less money in circulation. Companies closed down because of deflation and low demand while others laid off over half of their workers. As the unemployment levels increased, properties were repossessed and citizens started mortgaging their houses and selling everything just to get through the depression with their own home. Post war time the United States was booming, with the trade from Germany and Europe. The 1920’s turned out to be a decade, which lead America into the depression. As more and more people invested their money, the stock prices raised. “A multitude of large bank loans that could not be liquidated, and an economic recession that had begun earlier in the summer.” (“American
During the 1920’s, economic prosperity flourished throughout specific sectors of the world: Canada, Europe, and the United States. Throughout this decade of the twentieth century, consumer spending had increased significantly, as well as the innovation of new technologies, including automotive, chemical, movie, and radio industries. However, lasting only from 1920-1929, this economic opulence was not destined to proceed. On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday struck Wall Street, resulting in one of the most catastrophic crashes in the history of Wall Street. On that day, over 16 million shares of stock were traded, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars. In addition to the prices of American stock plummeting, unemployment skyrocketed to approximately 15 million people as a result of bank failures: America had been hit by what came to be known as the Great Depression. To combat this, President Franklin D. Roosevelt formulated an array of New Deal programs to promote the balance of money and banking, job creation, and social security. Although the New Deal did not end the Great Depression, it did help dispense a great deal of relief, recovery, and reform, as well as evolve the duties of the federal government alongside society.
Black Monday - Black monday was referred to as the biggest one day percentage drop in stock market history. This event occurred on the 19th of October in 1987, when the Dow Jones industrial Average dropped 22% in one day. It took over two years for the company to make up for their huge loss. Causes of this loss included low wages, and excessive loan amounts by
A time in America’s history was made dark by an economic downfall. The Great Depression made life almost unbearable for most people living in the 1930’s. The stock market crash started on Tuesday October 29, 1929, it is also known as “Black Tuesday”. The stock market crash is known as the worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world (“The Great Depression”). The Great Depression was a deep economic crisis that began in 1929 and lasted until the nation’s entry
The occurrence of the Great Depression was an inevitable economic disaster that was caused by a variety of reasons and events that happened in the U.S. and across the world. The lack of diversification was one of the main causes of the Great Depression as the dependence on only certain industries like the automobile industry began years before; and because of the prolonged success of such industries, their demise could not have been predicted. World War I was an event that had a major impact on the Great Depression because of the complexity of the international debt owed to the U.S, and the decline of international trade. In addition, the failure of the bank system and the reckless investments that banks, businesses and the American public made contributed to the manifestation of the Great Depression.
On Thursday, October 24th, 1929, people began to sell their stocks as fast as they could. Sell orders flooded the market exchanges. (1929…) This day became known as Black Thursday. (Black Thursday…) On a normal day, only 750-800 members of the New York Stock Exchange started the exchange. (1929…) There were 1100 members on the floor for the morning opening. (1929…) Furthermore, the exchange directed all employees to be on the floor since there were numerous margin calls and sell orders placed overnight. Extra telephone staff was also arranged at the member’s boxes around the floor. (1929…) The Dow Jones Average closed at 299 that day. (1929…)
On Black Thursday, October 24th, investors and stock brokers began to panic. They bought many shares of stocks, hoping to balance out the market. However, though balancing the market was many people’s intention, this was not the case. On Black Tuesday, October 25th, stock prices collapsed completely, and billions of dollars were lost.
Beginning on Black Tuesday, October 29th, 1929, a total of 14 billion dollars was lost in America’s economy. Near the end of the week the 14 billion turned into a total of 30 billion dollars (The Great Depression Facts). Many events during the Stock Market Crash caused damage to the economy and lifestyle of the country, ending with recuperations from The Depression.
The black Tuesday, October 29th, 1929 has been identified as the symbol of the Great Depression. Stock holders lost 14 billion dollars on a single day trade, and more than 30 billion lose in that week, which was 10 times more than the annual budget of the Federal government.[ [documentary] 1929 Wall Street Stock Market Crash
...e stock market crash of 1929, Black Tuesday. Black Wednesday was used to refer to a day of widespread air traffic snarls in 1954 as well as the day the British government was forced to withdraw a battered pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in 1992. Black Thursday has variously been used for days of devastating brush fires, bombings and athletic defeats, among other unpleasantness. (The New York Times.)