The Dirty Thirties The Great Depression

 What do you see here?  What do you think it means?  How does this contrast with your knowledge of the 1920s?

Canada in the late 1920s  Late 1920s there was a general sense of optimism  Prices and wages were HIGH  Unemployment rates were LOW  However, Canada’s economy began to experience adown swing and the Great Depression began.  What habits of Canadians in the 1920s might have led to the Depression?

Black Tuesday – The Market Crash  Oct. 1929, the stock market crashes  Many people lost everything  The stock market crash was not the cause of the Great Depression, but was a symptom of the times.

Stock Market Crash  Why did so many people participate in the stock market?  Why did so may people lose everything when the market crashed in October 1929?

Causes of the Great Depression  You will be put into home groups  You will divide into expert groups  You will read and learn about 1 of the causes of the Great Depression  You will return to your home group and share your new found knowledge

What caused the Great Depression?  Goods were overproduced, but people were not buying. Production slowed and workers were laid off.  Canada depended on primary goods, such as wheat, fish, pulp and paper, as exports. During the Depression, countries around the world did not demand as many products

What caused the Great Depression?  Canada depended on the United States for 65% of its imports and 40% of its exports. When the Depression hit the US, the Canadian economy suffered.  High Protective Tariffs were imposed on imports by many countries.

What caused the Great Depression?  Canadians bought too much on credit, from pianos to cars, to stocks, many people used the “buy now, pay later” approach. Many families and investors went very deep into debt.

Surviving the Great Depression?  By 1933, almost a third of all Canadians were out of work.  Many struggled to buy food, clothing, and other necessities.  People turned to relief money from the government to keep from starving.

The Worst Years  Create a PMI (plus, minus, interesting) page by dividing a piece of paper into 3 columns. Label them Plus, Minus, Interesting.  Read “The Worst Years” pp. 187 to 191.  As you read, write down in the appropriate columns, anything that you read that is positive, negative, or that you think is simply interesting.