As our economy began to falter in December 2007 and plummeted into the current recession in September 2008, many Americans thought back to the horrors and hardships of the Great Depression. The Great Depression proved a difficult time for America, a time nobody wanted to ever see again. Sadly, many of the children from the Great Depression have lived to witness a time with many similarities, and yet many differences, to the economy crash of 1929. The stock market crash on October 29, 1929 set in motion many events leading to the Great Depression. Although this day is considered the trigger to the massive economic fallout, the American and global economies had been in turmoil for six months prior to Black Tuesday, and many other factors contributed to what’s known as the worst economic crash in modern history. With few regulations on the stock market in the years leading up to the Great Depression, investors were able to buy stocks on margin, only requiring them to put down ten percent. This caused for wild speculation, and many people funneling their life savings into the stock market, which led to artificially high prices. After Black Tuesday, many people began to believe that the banking system in America was going to fail. Thousands flocked to the banks to withdraw their money. With so much output, and so little input, banks nation-wide began failing. In the first eight months of 1930, seven hundred forty-four banks went under. During the 1920’s only one percent of the population owned forty percent of the nation’s wealth. But when the stock market crashed, the rich entrepreneurs, and the lower class citizens alike, lost everything, and the unemployment rates soared. Not only was high unemployment rates caused by the st... ... middle of paper ... ...nd people just trying to sell their homes were harmed by this because there were items available for a lower price. Putting regulations on the percentage a loan can be, and the ability to give out risky loans would assist in averting this crisis in the future. In the life span of one person, a country can go through many wars, it can be the cause of a global economic crisis and come out as the world leader, and somehow fall right back into economic hardship. This is the life that many who lived in the Great Depression have seen. They must wonder how America didn’t see the salient signs pointing to the recession, seeing as almost the same thing happened only eighty years earlier. The commonalities are vast, the differences, few, but it call comes back around to the lesson people are bound to figure out someday: Learn from History, because it always repeats itself.
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
...tter poverty. The depression affected millions of Americans and I got to really feel what they went through when I watched the movie Cinderella Man. Jim Braddock the main character of the movie went thorough tough times; he lost his job, couldn’t support his family and witnessed loved ones being lost to the Great Depression. Going through all this just made him a stronger man. This gargantuan mess was all created because of the Stock Market crash of the 1930’s. This was a time when the huge stock market fell to the ground. The crash hurt so many American families including Braddock. Even though the Great Depression ended a while ago there are similar things that happened in the Great Depression that are happening in 2010. The Great Depression ruined many people, America needs to learn from their mistakes and make sure ruination like this never happens again.
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.
Following the decade of economic prosperity and peace of the Roaring 20’s was the 1930’s which is commonly known as the Great Depression, an era of distress and instability that played an effect on altering the social, political, and economical infrastructure of the United States. Before the Great Depression, the United States was a representation of a consumer-driven society, with people loaning money from banks, in order to pay for luxurious items, they could not afford. However, in 1929, the stock market crashed, resulting in the nationwide closures of multiple banks and marked as the begin of turmoil for Americans. With the burden of the nation on the backs of all Americans, the meaning of life was changed and people waited day by day for the government to act and steer the nation back on the track for economic and political stability and progress, to be a
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.
Since being founded, America became a capitalist society. Being a capitalist society obtains luxurious benefits and rather harsh consequences if gone bad. In a capitalist society people must buy products and spend money to keep the economy balanced, but once those people stop spending money, the economy goes off balance and the nation enters a recession. Once a recession drastically takes a downturn, the nation enters what is known as a depression. In 2008 America entered a recession and its consequences were severe enough for some people, such as President Barack Obama, to compare the recent crisis to the world’s darkest economic depression in history, the Great Depression. Although the Great Depression and the Great Recession of 2008 hold similarities and differences between the stock market and government spending, political issues, lifestyle changes, and wealth distribution, the Great Depression proved far more detrimental consequences than the Recession.
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 years berween 1929 and 1933 were trying years for people throughout the world. Inflation was often so high money became nearly worthless. America had lost the prosperity it had known during the 1920's. America was caught in a trap of a complete meltdown of economy, workers had no jobs simply because it cost too much to ship the abundance of goods being produced. This cycle was unbreakable, and produced what is nearly universally recognized as the greatest economic collapse of all times. These would be trying years for all, but not every American faced the same challenges and hardships. (Sliding 3)
Throughout history there have only been two major economic downturns. The Great Depression and the Recession of 2008 both occurred due to poor financial policies and excessive spending. Both events left people with a sense of hopelessness and vulnerability. A comparison of the Great Depression Era and The Recession of 2008 reveals similarities in causes and effects economically, socially, and politically.
25 billion dollars lost in 1 day, roughly 25% of the nations population was without a job, and the suicide rate skyrocketed. These are just a few factors that turned the Stock Market Crash of 1929 into the Great Depression, one of the longest and worst economic downturns of that time, according to History.com. 16 million shares were lost at the New York Stock Exchange, eliminating thousands of investors on October 29th, 1929. The Stock Market Crash impacted the United States by putting Millions of people out of jobs, and putting America in one of the deepest financial and economical holes of that time. Today, Americans are still worried it could happen again, which is causing some people to not trust banks, or invest in the stock market. If the stock market were to crash today very few Americans would be prepared.
Stated by the stock market crash article, “The nation had confronted economic depressions before in the 1970s and the 1990s for example-but never had the impact been so great for the duration so long.” (Arnesen and Hayes). Black Thursday reached 12 million stock trades that day. Billions were lost and wealthy investors lost everything. The market slowly increased and then came October 29 Black Tuesday; the complete crash when 16 million stocks were shared in one day. A&E Networks points out, “Stock ticketers ran hours behind clock, because machines couldn't handle the tremendous volume of trading.” (“Stock Market Crash of 1929” H). Thousands of banks closed throughout the United States and all banks were banned from investing depositors’ money in stocks. Roosevelt’s request was to close all the banks for three days, which was called the “bank holiday”. The federal government set up Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) which repaid depositors for the banks that went out of business. The impact on American citizens was brutal; furthermore, they had to conform to the devastation the crash caused and adapt to a poorer way of
The Great Depression was the longest lasting economic downturn; lasting from 1929-1939. Not long after the stock market crash of October 1929 the Great Depression followed, this sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Consumer spending and investment dropped dramatically over the next few years. This caused steep declines in industrial output and rising levels of unemployment as failing companies laid off workers. By March 1930, more than 3.2 million people are unemployed. By November 1930 New York City streets were crowded with unemployed people trying to make money by selling apples for five cents a piece, called Apple-Sellers. According to American Experience, the inequality of the rich vs. the poor, merged with the non-stop production of goods and the rising personal debt of many citizens, things could no longer be supported. President at the time, Herbert Hoover, underestimated how serious the situation actually was and called it, “a passing incident in our national lives.” and was certain that this would pass within the next 6...
The stock market crash of 1929 sent the nation spiraling into a state of economic paralysis that became known as the Great Depression. As industries shrank and businesses collapsed or cut back, up to 25% of Americans were left unemployed. At the same time, the financial crisis destroyed the life savings of countless Americans (Modern American Poetry). Food, housing and other consumable goods were in short supply for most people (Zinn 282). This widespread state of poverty had serious social repercussions for the country.
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