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......
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