Overview  | Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945  | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline  | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress  | Library of Congress (2024)

FAQs

What happened between the Great Depression and WWII? ›

Economic instability led to political instability in many parts of the world. Political chaos, in turn, gave rise to dictatorial regimes such as Adolf Hitler's in Germany and the military's in Japan. (Totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union and Italy predated the depression.)

What was the Great Depression? The "Great Depression " was a severe, world -wide economic disintegration symbolized in the United States by the stock market crash on "Black Thursday", October 24, 1929 . The causes of the Great Depression were many and varied, but the impact was visible across the country.

The longest and deepest downturn in the history of the United States and the modern industrial economy lasted more than a decade, beginning in 1929 and ending during World War II in 1941.

The Great Depression was the worst economic crisis in modern history, lasting from 1929 until the beginning of World War II in 1939. The causes of the Great Depression included slowing consumer demand, mounting consumer debt, decreased industrial production and the rapid and reckless expansion of the U.S. stock market.

The Great Depression and World War II (1920-1945)

The 1920s were sometimes known as the “Machine Age,” the “Jazz Age,” and the “Age of Prosperity.” However, the stock market crashed in October of 1929, precipitating the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. Over the next six years, the conflict took more lives and destroyed more land and property around the globe than any previous war.

What were the major causes of the Great Depression? Among the suggested causes of the Great Depression are: the stock market crash of 1929; the collapse of world trade due to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff; government policies; bank failures and panics; and the collapse of the money supply.

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in US history. It began in 1929 and did not abate until the end of the 1930s. The stock market crash of October 1929 signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. By 1933, unemployment was at 25 percent and more than 5,000 banks had gone out of business.

Not everyone, however, lost money during the worst economic downturn in American history. Business titans such as William Boeing and Walter Chrysler actually grew their fortunes during the Great Depression.

The U.S. stock market crash of 1929, an economic downturn in Germany, and financial difficulties in France and Great Britain all coincided to cause a global financial crisis.

What ended the Great Depression? ›

Mobilizing the economy for world war finally cured the depression. Millions of men and women joined the armed forces, and even larger numbers went to work in well-paying defense jobs. World War Two affected the world and the United States profoundly; it continues to influence us even today.

The Great Depression Arrives

By the end of the decade, economic and financial troubles had spread around the world. Many factors contributed: A decline in prices of primary products devastated the economies of such countries as Argentina, Australia, and Chile.

Simply put, the stock market crash of 1929 caused the Great Depression because everyone lost money. Investors and businesses both put significant amounts of money into the market, and when it crashed, tremendous amounts of money were lost. Businesses closed and people lost their savings.

Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles. Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat. In New York City, milk consumption declined a million gallons a day.

Key Takeaways. The Great Depression was the greatest and longest economic recession in modern world history. The Depression ran from 1929 to 1941. Investing in the speculative market in the 1920s led to the stock market crash in 1929 and this wiped out a great deal of nominal wealth.

Such programs certainly helped end the Great Depression, “but were insufficient [because] the amount of government funds for stimulus wasn't large enough,” she notes. “Only World War II, with its demands for massive war production, which created lots of jobs, ended the Depression.”

Great Depression & WWII, 1929–1945

The Great Depression and World War II redefined the role of government in American society and catapulted the US to a leadership role on the world stage.

Expert-Verified Answer. If the Great Depression had not happened, World War II have not been avoided as there are other reasons as well of World War II.

The gross national product of the U.S., as measured in constant dollars, grew from $88.6 billion in 1939 — while the country was still suffering from the depression — to $135 billion in 1944. War-related production skyrocketed from just two percent of GNP to 40 percent in 1943 (Milward, 63).