Causes of the Great Depression
- Stock Market Crash: The stock market crash of 1929, known as Black Tuesday, was a major contributor to the onset of the Great Depression. It led to a significant decline in consumer spending and investment.
- Bank Failures: As a result of the stock market crash, many banks failed, leading to a loss of savings for millions of people and a decrease in the availability of credit.
- Protectionist Trade Policies: Many countries implemented protectionist trade policies, such as tariffs and trade barriers, which led to a decrease in international trade and further worsened the economic situation.
- Dust Bowl: Severe drought and poor farming practices in the Great Plains led to the Dust Bowl, causing widespread agricultural devastation and contributing to the economic hardship.
- Decrease in Consumer Spending: The economic uncertainty led to a significant decrease in consumer spending, further exacerbating the economic downturn.
Impact of the Great Depression
- Unemployment: Unemployment rates soared, with millions of people losing their jobs and struggling to find work.
- Homelessness and Poverty: Many individuals and families were left homeless and lived in poverty due to the economic hardships.
- Global Economic Crisis: The effects of the Great Depression were felt worldwide, with many countries experiencing economic downturns and hardships.
- Government Interventions: The Great Depression led to the implementation of various government programs and policies aimed at providing relief and stimulating the economy, including the New Deal in the United States.
- Social Impact: The Great Depression had a profound impact on society, leading to increased social unrest and challenges for individuals and communities.
Study Guide for the Great Depression
Key Events and Dates
Make sure to familiarize yourself with the following key events and dates related to the Great Depression:
- Stock Market Crash of 1929 (Black Tuesday)
- Beginning of the Dust Bowl in the early 1930s
- Passage of the New Deal legislation in the mid-1930s
- World War II and its impact on the end of the Great Depression in the late 1930s and early 1940s
Causes and Contributing Factors
Understand the various causes and contributing factors that led to the onset and deepening of the Great Depression, including the stock market crash, bank failures, protectionist trade policies, the Dust Bowl, and the decrease in consumer spending.
Impact and Consequences
Examine the impact of the Great Depression on individuals, families, and countries, including the high unemployment rates, homelessness, poverty, global economic crisis, government interventions, and social repercussions.
Government Response and New Deal
Explore the government interventions and policies implemented in response to the Great Depression, particularly the New Deal and its various programs aimed at providing relief, recovery, and reform.
[Great Depression] Related Worksheets and Study Guides:
.◂Social Studies Worksheets and Study Guides Sixth Grade. Great Depression
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Great Depression 
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Great Depression
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National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS)
CULTURE
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
That culture may change in response to changing needs, concerns, social, political, and geographic conditions.
TIME, CONTINUITY, AND CHANGE
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF THE PAST AND ITS LEGACY.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
Concepts such as: chronology, causality, change, conflict, complexity, multiple perspectives, primary and secondary sources, and cause and effect.
Key historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures (e.g., the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, the development of technology, the rise of modern nation-states, and the establishment and breakdown of colonial systems).
INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS, AND INSTITUTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF INTERACTIONS AMONG INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS, AND INSTITUTIONS.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
That groups and institutions change over time.
PROCESSES - Learners will be able to:
Analyze the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change.
National Standards for Civics and Government (NSCG)
What are the foundations of the American political system? What are the distinctive characteristics of American society?
Distinctive characteristics of American society. Students should be able to identify and explain the importance of historical experience and geographic, social, and economic factors that have helped to shape American society. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Explain important factors that have helped shape American society
Market economy
How does the government established by the constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy? What does the national government do?
Major responsibilities for domestic and foreign policy. Students should be able to explain the major responsibilities of the national government for domestic and foreign policy. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify historical and contemporary examples of important domestic policies, e.g., Pure Food and Drug Act, Environmental Protection Act, civil rights laws, child labor laws, minimum wage laws, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Social Security
Financing government through taxation. Students should be able to explain the necessity of taxes and the purposes for which taxes are used. To achieve this standard, students should be able to
Identify major uses of tax revenues received by the national government, e.g., direct payment to individuals (Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Aid to Families with Dependent Children), national defense, interest on the federal debt, interstate highways
National Content Standards in Economics (NCSE)
Allocation
Students will understand that different methods can be used to allocate goods and services. People acting individually or collectively must choose which methods to use to allocate different kinds of goods and services. Students will be able to use this knowledge to evaluate different methods of allocating goods and services, by comparing the benefits to the costs of each method.
At the completion of Grade 8, students will know the Grade 4 benchmarks for this standard, and also that:
There are essential differences between a market economy, in which allocations result from individuals making decisions as buyers and sellers, and a command economy, in which resources are allocated according to central authority.
Unemployment and Inflation
Students will understand that unemployment imposes costs on individuals and the overall economy. Inflation, both expected and unexpected, also imposes costs on individuals and the overall economy. Unemployment increases during recessions and decreases during recoveries. Students will be able to use this knowledge to make informed decisions by anticipating the consequences of inflation and unemployment.
At the completion of Grade 8, students will know the Grade 4 benchmark for this standard, and also that:
To be counted as unemployed, a person must be in the labor force. The labor force consists of people age 16 and over who are employed or actively seeking work. Thus the labor force is the sum of total employment and total unemployment.
At the completion of Grade 8, students will know the Grade 4 benchmark for this standard, and also that:
The unemployment rate is the percentage of the labor force that is willing and able to work, does not currently have a job, and is actively looking for work.
National Center for History in Schools (NCHS)
Historical Thinking Standards
Historical Comprehension
Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including the importance of the individual, the influence of ideas.
United States History Content Standards
Era 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
How the United States changed from the end of World War I to the eve of the Great Depression.
The student understands how new cultural movements reflected and changed American society.
Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
The causes of the Great Depression and how it affected American society.
The student understands the causes of the crash of 1929 and the Great Depression.
The student understands how American life changed during the 1930s.
How the New Deal addressed the Great Depression, transformed American federalism, and initiated the welfare state.
The student understands the New Deal and the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The student understands the impact of the New Deal on workers and the labor movement.
The student understands opposition to the New Deal, the alternative programs of its detractors, and the legacy of the New Deal.
Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the present)
Recent developments in foreign and domestic politics.
The student understands domestic politics in contemporary society.
World History Content Standards
Era 8: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
The search for peace and stability in the 1920s and 1930s.
The student understands the interplay between scientific or technological innovations and new patterns of social and cultural life between 1900 and 1940.
The student understands the interplay of new artistic and literary movements with changes in social and cultural life in various parts of the world in the post-war decades.
Major global trends from 1900 to the end of World War II.
The student understands major global trends from 1900 to the end of World War II.
Era 9: The 20th Century Since 1945: Promises and Paradoxes
The search for community, stability, and peace in an interdependent world.
The student understands how liberal democracy, market economies, and human rights movements have reshaped political and social life.