Skip to main content

What was the Great Depression?

I've looked up numerous answers and websites, but I still don't fully understand what the Great Depression was. I'm only fifteen, and I need to understand it for a public speaking event I have on Tuesday. Any clear and straightforward information would really help. Specifically, I'm working on the FFA Creed, and one of the potential questions might be about how agriculture influenced the Great Depression. Any insights on this topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

10 Answers

C
Caden Kuhic

Feb 11, 2025

the stock market crashed in the states…

ppl lost thier jobs, money lost its value, fear, stress, lack of hope, and only the rich could manage the depression and even then ppl struggled, there were beggars everywhere, ppl lived on the streets,

many people starved and went bankrupt

also because of hte graet depression, Hitler took advantage of the lack of employment and saw it as his opportunity to start a new regime in Germany, he gave hope to a suffering population by saying he owuld give htem jobs, and they elected him into the government,,, then. he began Nazism…. ugh. so sad….

Research . PIttsburgh for pictures of desperate times.

Ask your grandparents too, they lived through it..

🙂

The Great Depression was a number of bad events that put about quarter of the people on the streets begging for bread and looking for jobs.

The other big thing going on was the Dust Bowl in the mid-west, particularly in Oklahoma, where a drought combined with high winds made for years of very unhealthy subsistence. Many died inhaling the dust. There was a good movie made during the 1950’s called the ‘G ɾąքҽ s of Wrath.’ You should download it and watch it. It’s public-domain, so you do not have to buy it or rent it.

The reason I say you should focus on the Dust Bowl is that it was a massive slam to the agricultural portion of the Great Depression. It destroyed farm land in the mid-west, and then migrant farm workers were moving around overloading the other farming areas to where land owners were able to give pennies a day for hard work that often required the whole family to work dawn to dust seven days a week.

The Great Depression was a dramatic, worldwide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928.[1] The beginning of the Great Depression in the United States is associated with the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday and the end is associated with the onset of the war economy of World War II, beginning around 1939.

The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade declined sharply, as did personal incomes, tax revenues, prices, and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by 40 to 60 percent.[2][3] Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as farming, mining and logging suffered the most. At the time, Herbert Hoover was President of the United States.[4] Even shortly after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, optimism persisted. John D. Rockefeller said that "These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come and gone. Prosperity has always returned and will again.”

The Great Depression ended at different times in different countries; for subsequent history see Home front during World War II. The majority of countries set up relief programs, and most underwent some sort of political upheaval, pushing them to the left or right. In some states, the desperate citizens turned toward nationalist demagogues – the most infamous being Adolf Hitler – setting the stage for World War II in 1939.

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/wwii/jb_wwii_sub…

gave you a history site that can explain to you in very simple terms.

A
Anonymous

Feb 06, 2025

The Great Depression struck on the 29th October 1929. It was a period in time where people is the USA where buying stocks 10% of their actual value. Also over production, if you over produce something the price goes down. Also the USA was the biggest economy at the time. This meant that if America’s economy was going down, it would have a profound affect in all areas of the globe. Some countries that were affected worse were, USA, Canada, Germany and Australia. AUS, USA and Can economies’ relied heavily upon exporting goods. In Canada, they relied on wheat. Since no countries could buy other countries goods (because they needed to take of their own country) they increased tariffs. There is no single cause to the Great Depression but many contributing factors.

A
Anonymous

Jan 21, 2025

The decline in agriculture started long before the stock market crash in 1929. During WWI food prices inflated around the world because countries had to feed both civilians and it’s soldiers. Because fighting was in Europe, The US sold food to European countries, creating great profit for farmers. The problem then came after WWI (ends in 1918) when countries began rebuilding after the war. Food is not worth as much, because they can now grow it at home for a much lower cost. This was a huge blow to the American farmers, who took their profits and invested in new equipment, more land, etc. Food prices dropped (contributing to the Roaring Twenties in American cities) and that meant they couldn’t make their payments to banks and lenders, causing them to flood the cities for work because they lost the farm. The farmers then were plunged into an economic depression nearly 10 years before the rest of America.

The Great Depression is a largely economic term, describing the economics from c.1929 to c.1938. Essentially American money lost it’s value, people were forced out of work, etc. Think of the Great Depression like now, only without all the stimulus money.

The Dust Bowl was also an important component of the Great Depression, as others have told you. Because of the over-farming to feed the world during the war, they stripped the soil of nutrients, blowing soil across the Great Plain States (OK, KS. NA, TX, SD)

A
Anonymous

Feb 19, 2025

The Great Depression took place between 1929-1938 (or so) it began with the crash of the stock market, and continued by the dust bowl. The dust bowl was caused by farmers who over worked the land and ꜱᴜcκ all the moister out of the topsoil, which turned into dust and was blown, storm form, across the middle of America. During this time FDR came up with social security and is the reason that the American concept of spending to get out of repression came to be.

A
Anonymous

Feb 06, 2025

The great depression

For the best answers, search on this site https://smarturl.im/aDLMp

Stop Depression – Overcome your Depression Without Medication – http://stopdepresion.info/effective-way-2066.html

Method to overcome depression and anxiety without pills and expensive therapies.

You will cure your depression just by following him directions. It is a simple, fast and effective method.

+) Find food for treating depression.

+) Stop taking pills.

+) Never relapse again.

+) Apply an effective method to discover and eliminate the root problem.

Method provide the "key" to your new life, for you will be able to:

+) Have more confidence in yourself.

+) Sleep better and feel more relaxed, with no stress.

+) Be comfortable with yourself and with other people.

+) Stop anxiety attacks.

Get it Now! – http://stopdepresion.info/effective-way-2066.html

Enjoy every day as you did before and Start feeling fulfilled and enjoying the things you do

The great depression is not a person it is a time period when the US was going through an economic mild down. And many families could not support themselves and the country could not do much to help. Just like now we are going through recession. hope this help

A
Anonymous

Jan 31, 2025

Cure Social Anxiety Shyness : http://socialanxiety.uzaev.com/?RlQC

Want to answer this question?

Join our community to share your knowledge!

Related Questions

7
Does Walmart, Target, or meijer offer Layaway options anymore?

Do Walmart, Target, or Meijer still offer layaway options? I'm interested in knowing if these retailers currently provid...

1
Today’s CPUs run at speeds measured in kilohertz.?

Today's CPUs operate at speeds measured in gigahertz rather than kilohertz. Is this statement true or false?

2
why do african american kids score worse on the sat tests than whites or asians, regardless of their socioeconomic background?

What factors contribute to the observed differences in SAT scores among African American students compared to their Whit...

2
In contrast to a greek temple, roman temples usually

In contrast to Greek temples, Roman temples typically featured a more elevated podium, a front-facing entrance, and a gr...

5
What did john muir encourage president theodore roosevelt to do?

What specific actions did John Muir encourage President Theodore Roosevelt to take regarding environmental conservation...

3
Which of the following describes a greek influence on roman art?

Which of the following statements best describes the influence of Greek art on Roman art? Roman art often portrayed ab...

8
2 Points Which of the following best describes what labor directly contributes to production?

Which of the following options best describes the direct contributions of labor to production? A. Humans extract resour...

3
What did ken lay do when bethany mclean was researching enron?

What actions did Ken Lay take while Bethany McLean was conducting her research on Enron?

4
Which of the following describes american inventor robert fulton?

Which of the following statements accurately describes American inventor Robert Fulton? a. He built a 133-foot paddlebo...

9
What did lincoln hope to do about voting after the civil war

What were Abraham Lincoln's intentions regarding voting rights after the Civil War, and how did he envision these change...