Causes of the Depression

1. Causes of the Depression Chapter 9, Section 1 Content Standards 11.5.1, 11.6.1, and 11.6.2

2. 1928 Elections In 1928, America votes Republican again. Former Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hooverbecomes the President of the U.S.

3. “I have no fears for the future of our country. It is bright with hope.” -Hoover Not!

4. Roaring 20’s Paves way for the Depressing 30’s Key Terms: Stock Market: system for buying and selling shares of companies Bull Market: period of rising stock prices Margin:buying on a margin means making a small cash down payment

5. Key Terms cont. Margin call: requires investors to repay their loans at once *brokers issued a margin call to protect the money they loaned to people that bought stocks on a margin Speculation: investing money with hopes that stock prices will rise Invest:to put money into something

6. Stock Market Crash of 1929 The Stock Market Crash of 1929 caused the Great Depression. True or False? False Contrary to popular belief, the stock market crash was not the major cause of the Great Depression. It led the economy into a recession.

7. It played a huge part but it did not completely cripple the economy all on its own. Its immediate effects were felt by the national bank.

8. Banks Take a Beating • The banks lent money to investors • Banks invested money into the stock market in hopes for higher returns Oh crap… We are so screwed.

9. So what happened to the banks when the stock market crashed? • Banks were forced to cut back on loans they made • Few people could borrow money • Some banks closed and customers lost their money (no FDIC insurance @ the time) • People freaked out and withdrew all their money all at once

10. Brain Teaser:What do you think happened to the banks as people began to pull out their money so suddenly?

11. Banks collapsed... Stock Market Bank People deposit money into the bank Bank loans money to other people. People pay them back with interest.

12. Causes of the Great Depression

13. Stock Market Crash Bank Failures Mistakes by the Federal Reserves Uneven Distribution of Income Loss of Export Sales + Great Depression Silly Boys Make Ugly Ladies

14. Cause #1: Stock Market Crash The crash led people to sell off their stocks as quickly as possible. With everyone selling and no one buying, within 1 week, the market lost 30 billion dollars.

15. Cause #2: Bank Failures • Too many people began to withdraw huge sums of money from the bank • Banks had to shut down • Big banks went down first. Then the little ones followed. • Banks were not FDIC insured at this time

16. Cause #3: Mistakes by the Federal Reserve What is the Federal Reserve? It is the central bank of the U.S. It is in charge of setting monetary policy and controlling inflation, among other things. It is NOT owned or controlled by the government. It is its own private entity

17. They kept interest rates low • encouraged banks to make risky loans • encouraged people to buy stocks on speculation • Low interest rates caused businesses to think that the economy was still expanding • This caused businesses to produce more goods with not enough people to buy them • Overproduction = lay off workers to cut costs • Unemployment = even less consumers to buy goods

18. The Tale of Bob’s Radios Low interest rates??? Alright! No one’s buying my radios anymore. I have to fire some guys to cut costs… I should make more radios! 1923 1930 1925 Now that I’m out of a job, I should stop buying things I don’t need and start saving money 1931 Great Depression hits Bob’s Radios hard. The store has to close down…

19. Mistakes made by the Federal Reserve (continued) 2. They did nothing to alleviate the problems of bank failures a. they could’ve bought government bonds b. they could’ve lent money to the banks c. because they did none of the above, the money supply shrank

20. Mistakes made by the Federal Reserve (continued) 3. The Gold Standard a. Prior to the 1930’s, the U.S. was on the gold standard b. This means that the Federal Reserve had to back up all bank notes (money) with gold c. There was only a limited amount of gold that they could give out to people d. When they reached the limit, they stopped circulating money- hence the shortage of money

21. Cause #4: Uneven distribution of income • The rich kept getting richer • The rest of the population made significantly less money • So the lower middle class bought things with easy credit or on the installment plan • They spent less money on other consumer goods to pay off debts • Low consumption led to slower production which led businesses to lay off more people (remember the story of Bob’s Radios) • Unemployed people couldn’t afford goods • Vicious cycle of unemployment and low production begins

22. In sum, the problem was… • The average Joe wanted to buy nice things and live like the big timers but they couldn’t afford everything they bought • Everyone was in debt in some form • The average Joe stopped buying goods • Businesses went broke and laid off employees

23. Cause #5: The Loss of Export Sales • Congress passes the Hawley-Smoot Tariff in 1930 • Raises tariffs on imported goods to an all-time high • It is designed to protect American goods against foreign competition • Americans buy less foreign goods because they are now way too expensive

24. Foreign competitors react in kind by buying fewer American goods In 1932, U.S. exports fell 80%. This was one of the worst years of the depression era. Screw you Americans. I do not want to buy your goods either…