Causes Of The Great Depression

Causes of The Great Depression

The Great Depression was the worst economic slump ever in U.S.

history, and one which spread to virtually all of the industrialized

world. The depression began in late 1929 and lasted for about a

decade. Many factors played a role in bringing about the depression;

however, the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination

of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920's,

and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the

latter part that same decade. The maldistribution of wealth in the

1920's existed on many levels. Money was distributed disparately

between the rich and the middle-class, between industry and

agriculture within the United States, and between the U.S. and Europe.

This imbalance of wealth created an unstable economy. The excessive

speculation in the late 1920's kept the stock market artificially

high, but eventually lead to large market crashes. These market

crashes, combined with the maldistribution of wealth, caused the

American economy to capsize.

The "roaring twenties" was an era when our country prospered

tremendously. The nation's total realized income rose from $74.3

billion in 1923 to $89 billion in 1929(end note 1). However, the

rewards of the "Coolidge Prosperity" of the 1920's were not shared

evenly among all Americans. According to a study done by the Brookings

Institute, in 1929 the top 0.1% of Americans had a ...

Causes Of The Great Depression

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