American History

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. American History
photo of Martin Kelly

Martin's American History Blog

By Martin Kelly, About.com Guide to American History since 2001

Top Causes of the Great Depression

Sunday December 14, 2008
The causes of the Great Depression were many. In fact, not all historians and economists even agree about them. However, there is no denying that the Great Depression had a huge impact on the United States and the world. It led to a change in the way the federal government assisted US citizens through the implementation of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal policies. More than this, however, the impact that the Great Depression had around the world led to the rise of extremism in many countries. The most notable example of this was Hitler's rise as the head of the Nazi Party. His economic programs helped pull Germany out of its depression. At the same time, his increased power allowed him to institute his horrible policies against the Jewish people that resulted in the holocaust along with his invasion of many surrounding countries that would lead to World War II.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA-OWI Collection, LC-USF34-9058-C

Comments

December 3, 2008 at 12:21 pm
(1) JL says:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/12/02/dustbowl.photo/index.html
Dorothea Lange is the daughter in this photo, she was four.

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Discuss

Community Forum

Explore American History

More from About.com

American History

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. American History

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.