New Deal + Great Depression Flashcards
Long term causes of crash
Overproduction + underconsumption of agriculture
“ “ of consumer goods
Protectionism (tariffs)
Debt increasing
Laissez faire
Wall Street Crash
Period in October 1929 when shares + other investments in the US fell in value by large amounts, followed by the depression
Greatest stock market crash in US history
Short term causes of crash (2)
Word spread about falling profits of overproducing big companies so people sold their shares
They dropped their share price to try to attract a buyer - lost a lot of money
Black Thursday date + shares (2)
24th October 1929
13 million shares sold
How many shares were sold on 29 October?
16 million shares sold
How much did shareholders lose on 29th October 1929?
Shareholders lost a total of $8000 million
How many banks had closed by 1933?
5000 banks had gone bankrupt
Suicides in the Great Depression
Suicides up 50%
Unemployment in Great Depression (2)
By 1933 unemployment had risen to 25% of national workforce (14 million people)
Compared to 3% in 1929
How many farmers became hobos in the depression?
2 million
How many businesses went bankrupt as a result of the crash + depression?
8500
How did production + wages change between 1928 and 1933?
Industrial + farm production fell by 40%
Wages fell by 60%
Hoover’s responses to Great Depression (3)
Hawley-Smoot Act 1930 - increased tariffs by 50%
- foreign countries retaliated, trade fell further
Reconstruction Finance Corporation - loans totalling $1500 million to rescue businesses, banks etc.
- didn’t help enough
Made $300 million available to states to help unemployed but only $30 million given out
Roosevelt’s election campaign (3)
Grand train tour - 20800km
Vague plans but recognised everyone wanted change
Promised a New Deal
Hoover’s views about the depression
Just a cycle of boom and bust
- ‘prosperity is just around the corner’
Roosevelt’s 3 aims
Relief - help for victims of depression
Recovery - encourage economic recovery + employment
Reform - improve economic system to prevent another depression
Roosevelt’s first 100 days
Emergency banking act
Alphabet Agencies
Second New Deal
Social Security Act
Wagner Act
WPA
RA