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The Great Depression (1929-1939). What was the Great Depression? The Great Depression: a period of very low economic activity and high unemployment that.

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Presentation on theme: "The Great Depression (1929-1939). What was the Great Depression? The Great Depression: a period of very low economic activity and high unemployment that."— Presentation transcript:

1 The Great Depression (1929-1939)

2 What was the Great Depression? The Great Depression: a period of very low economic activity and high unemployment that spread throughout the world during the 1930s

3 Economic Boom in the United States The Roaring 20’s  American factories produced most of the world’s manufactured goods  American workers made more money than workers in other countries  Banks in the U.S. loaned other countries large amounts of money

4 Economic Struggles in Europe Most nations were deep in debt after World War I Many countries printed too much money and experienced inflation (money loses value and prices go up) Many European nations relied too much on the U.S. economy

5 Causes of the Great Depression Too much confidence in the economy  Americans borrowed and spent too much  People made careless investments  Factories produced more goods than they could sell

6 The Stock Market Crash of 1929 The economy slowed down  Stock values began to fall  Investors panicked and too many people wanted to sell their stocks Stockbrokers demanded that borrowers pay off loans  People withdrew money from banks to pay off loans  Many banks did not have enough money and had to close Prices dropped further  On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday, values of stocks “crashed” to record lows

7 Effects of the Great Depression Many banks and factories closed People lost faith in the economy  People bought less and invested less Many people became homeless Unemployment was at an all time high 1/4 Americans and British jobless 2/5 Germans jobless

8 Different Responses to the Great Depression

9 The United States Kept its democratic form of government  Voters gave government more power to deal with depression The New Deal: set of programs started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that helped bring the U.S. out of the Great Depression  The Social Security Act of 1935 Benefits for retired, disabled, and unemployed  Public building projects Created new jobs  More government involvement in economy Rules and regulations for businesses Assistance for farmers Higher taxes to pay for programs

10 Germany After WWI, Germany set up a democratic government  New government failed to solve economic problems  Germans lost faith in democracy During the Great Depression, Germans wanted a strong leader to help with their economic problems  Adolf Hitler: leader of the Nazi Party and dictator of Germany from 1933-1945 His ideas inspired German people who were suffering under the Great Depression and the Treaty of Versailles Nazism: the political beliefs of the Nazi (National Socialist German Workers’) Party  Promised to build a more powerful Germany  Called for a powerful leader (dictator) to get things done quickly  Blamed Jewish people for Germany’s problems His harsh rule brought Germany out of the depression

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12 Great Britain Kept its democratic form of government  Voters elected a new political party to help the economy economic retrenchment: cutting back on other government programs and focusing on economic improvement  More government involvement in the economy Raised tariffs to protect British businesses Cut back money supply to limit inflation Lowered interest rates on loans to encourage spending  Balanced the budget (got the government out of debt) Raised taxes and controlled government spending  Cut military spending – saved money but weakened defense ability


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