The Great Depression

Great Plains, 1930 An ongoing drought led to severe dust storms that spread across North America’s Great Plains, ruining the livelihood of farmers. The affected area was known as the Dust Bowl.

Britain, 1936 People marched against poverty and unemployment in northeast England.

France, 1934 Riots erupted in Paris as people tried to bring down what they believed was a corrupt government.

Seattle, 1932 One of the largest “Hoovervilles” (see key) sprang up near the port of Seattle.

Seattle

Migration to California, 1932 Thousands of farmers migrated from the Dust Bowl to find work in California.

NORTH AMERICA

Dust Bowl

Detroit UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

How did it happen?

During the 1920s, the economy of the world expanded greatly, as farmers, factories, and other businesses produced more and more, believing there was an ever-growing market for their goods. Meanwhile, many people in the US bought stocks and shares in those businesses, hoping that they would earn a share of the profits. But eventually the expansion slowed, producers found they could not sell their goods, and companies started going bankrupt. This led to job losses and poverty. Chile, 1930 Out-of-work tin miners lined up outside “soup kitchens,” which were handing out free food.

Santiago New York, 1929 The value of shares on the Wall Street stock market fell rapidly, marking the start of the Great Depression. UK

GERM FRANCE

New York Detroit, 1930

Businesses across the US laid off workers, including those in the automobile industry in Detroit.

Spain, 1936–39 War broke out between a government that wanted to combat poverty and the army and landowners, who wanted to keep things as they were. SPAIN

ALGERIA

BRAZIL Algeria, 1937 A famine affected landless peasants displaced by European settlers; 1937 is still remembered as the “Year of Great Hunger.”

Brazil, 1937 The Depression caused the price of coffee to fall. This forced the government to burn some of it to increase its scarcity and its value.

SOUTH AMERICA

An American family left homeless by the Depression CH I L E

“I see nothing to give ground to hope— nothing of man.”

Calvin Coolidge, US president, 1923–29, speaking during the Great Depression in 1932

EUROPE

Germany, 1933 Joblessness among the German people helped the Nazi party rise to power. Although the party had racist views, people voted the Nazis in because they promised to create more jobs. ASIA

USSR, 1930s The USSR built lots of factories, expanding its industry despite the Depression, but millions of people died in a terrible famine in 1932–33. SOVIET UNION (USSR)

India, 1930 The British introduced a salt tax in India to boost its own weakened economy. Police beat protestors who marched against the tax. JAPAN Japan, 1931 Japan tackled the Depression by creating weapons factories. As a result, it became a mighty military power.

AFRICA

South Africa, 1930s The gold mining industry saved the South African economy after the value of farm produce fell rapidly.

SOUTH AFRICA INDIA

KEY

City Country affected by the Great Depression Most of the world suffered from the Depression, but it led to major events unfolding in these countries. Area damaged by Dust Bowl Major Hooverville Temporary settlements made of tents and shacks built by homeless people, they were mockingly named after US president Herbert Hoover, who was criticized for failing to tackle the poverty created by the Great Depression. Australia, 1932 The Depression caused many Australian people to lose their homes. They built crude shelters on the outskirts of cities, such as Sydney.

AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALASIA

1929–1939 The Great Depression

Sydney

The Great Depression was the biggest economic crisis in history. In 1929, the stock market in the United States crashed. Banks lost money, factories closed, and trade collapsed across America, and then the rest of the world. The Depression led to poverty, hunger, and mass unemployment, and it lasted for almost a decade.