Cause and Effect of the Great Depression

Paper Summary:

The Great Depression refers to the serious economic decline that started in the United States towards the end of 1929 and spread to most industrial countries of the world, lasting until the early 1940s.The period saw sharp declines in the production and sale of goods and a sudden, severe rise in unemployment. Numerous businesses and banks closed down or went bankrupt, people lost their jobs, homes, and savings, and large sections of the population in hitherto prosperous countries had to depend on charity to survive. Economists have discussed and dissected the causes of the Depression ever since, and its long-term effects have not even been fully overcome even today. This paper discusses some of the important causes and effects of the Great Depression.

From the Paper:

"The end of the World War I saw the American nation withdraw towards an inward looking policy of heightened individualism and the single-minded pursuit of getting rich. New technological innovations in the modern industry enabled quantum increase in industrial productivity. Unrestrained consumerism was promoted through the newly acquired art of advertising. People were persuaded to buy new, attractive products such as the automobile, the radio and household appliances. The problem was that while the public could be easily seduced into abandoning their habits of saving and frugality, the majority of the American public did not have the required buying capacity due to great inequalities in incomes. For example, during the "roaring" twenties (between 1923 and 1929), manufacturing output per person-hour increased by 32 %, while workers? wages grew by only 8 %. (McElvaine 38) At the same time, massive tax-cuts were initiated to benefit the rich by the government."

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