Great Depression: Causes, Definition & Dates | HISTORY
The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. Explore topics on the era, from the stock market crash of 1929, to the Dust Bowl, to FDR’s response to the economic calamity—the New Deal.
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5 Causes of the Great Depression
By 1929, a perfect storm of unlucky factors led to the start of the worst economic downturn in U.S. history.
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Crime in the Great Depression
Organized Crime in the Prohibition Era The passage of the 18th Amendment and the introduction of Prohibition in 1920 fueled the rise of organized crime, with gangsters growing rich on profits from bootleg liquor—often aided by corrupt local policemen and politicians. According to the FBI, Chicago alone had an estimated 1,300 gangs by the mid‑1920s, […]
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Here’s How the Great Depression Brought on Social Security
Explore how the Great Depression of the 1930s forced America to consider having a social safety net, leading President FDR to sign the Social Security Act into law via his New Deal programs. Learn how Social Security has changed over time.
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7 of FDR’s Most Inspiring Speeches
Roosevelt, known as ‘the great communicator,’ used his speeches and fireside chats to calm Americans’ fears during depression and war—and to rally them around his policies.
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