Great Depression Study Guide
Causes
Key Question: What caused the Great Depression?
1. Overspeculation on stocks. People borrowed money to buy stocks, but when the
stock market crashed, the borrowers had no money to repay the loans.
2. Federal Reserve failed to prevent the collapse of the banking system.
3. Tariffs were added to the cost of foreign products which discourage international
trade
Widespread and Severe Impact
Key Question: How were Americans impacted by the Great Depression?
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1. Large numbers of people were hungry and homeless
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2. One-fourth of workers lost their jobs
A
3. A large number of banks and businesses failed
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4. Farmers’ incomes fell to low levels, and many left their farms
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Key Person
Key Question: Who was the creator of the New Deal?
President Franklin D. Roosevelt used government programs to help the nation recover
from the Great Depression.
New Deal Programs
Key Question: What were some of the
New Deal Programs?
Social Security
Description?
Pensions for elderly, unemployed and people
with disabilities
Federal Work Programs
Jobs for unemployed Americans
Environmental Improvement Programs Brought electricity and water control to Southern
states
Farm Assistance Programs
Paid farmers to stop growing certain crops and
helped farmers in the Dust Bowl states
Increased Rights for Labor
Set wages, prices, and standards of production