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CAUSES OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION. Election of 1928 Hebert Hoover wins in a landslide. Economic danger signs. UNEVEN PROSPERITY. Economic danger signs. BUYING ON CREDIT.
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Election of 1928 Hebert Hoover wins in a landslide.
Economic danger signs UNEVEN PROSPERITY
Economic danger signs BUYING ON CREDIT
Installment plans – consumers could buy high cost items, and only pay a small down payment. They would pay the rest in monthly installments. Charge plates – The first credit cards.
Economic danger signs PLAYING THE STOCK MARKET
The Long Bull Market Stock Market – a system for buying and selling shares of companies. Bull Market – a period of rising stock prices. By 1929, 3-4 million Americans (almost 10% of the population) owned stocks.
Buying on margin – investors could buy stock for as little as 10% of the price and borrow the rest. Speculation – making high-risk/high reward investments. The value of all stocks went from $27 billion in 1925, to $87 billion by October 1929.
Economic danger signs TOO MANY GOODS, TOO LITTLE DEMAND
Overproduction– assembly lines turned out products faster than people could buy them. Example: when radio sales slumped, makers cut back on orders for copper wire, wood cabinets, and glass radio tubes. Montana copper miners, Minnesota lumberjacks, and Ohio glassworkers lost their jobs. Jobless workers had to cut back purchases, further reducing sales.
Economic danger signs TROUBLE FOR FARMERS AND WORKERS
Farmers: • Demand and prices dropped after WWI. • They couldn’t pay installments on new machinery or mortgages on land. • Over 6,000 rural banks went out of business. • Workers: • Companies grew wealthy, but laborers worked long hours for low wages. (56 hours/week at 16 cents an hour)
The Stock Market Crash Black Thursday – October 24th, 1929 Brokers called in loans. Investors began to sell. Example: General Electric stock went from $400/share to $283 overnight.
Black Tuesday – October 29, 1929 16.4 million shares were sold compared to an average day of 4-8 million. Stocks lost $10-$15 billion in value in a single day.