Categories: All - trade - credit - tariffs

by Abid Abdullatif 8 months ago

67

the great depression

The Great Depression era was marked by several significant economic challenges. High tariffs initiated by the Smoot-Hawley Act led to a global trade decline as other countries retaliated with their own tariffs, exacerbating the economic downturn.

the great depression

the great depression

Overdependence on the United States for trade

The estimates suggest that real world trade contracted approximately 14% because of declining income, 8% as a result of discretionary increases in tariff rates, 5% owing to deflation-induced tariff increases, and a further 6% because of the imposition of nontariff barriers.

High tariffs/protectionism/limited trading partners

The Smoot-Hawley Act increased tariffs on foreign imports to the U.S. by about 20%. At least 25 countries responded by increasing their own tariffs on American goods. Global trade plummeted, contributing to the ill effects of the Great Depression.

Overdependence on primary industries

The Great Depression exposed a major weakness in the Canadian economy: its heavy dependence on the export of primary resources. Two exports in particular wheat from the Prairie provinces, and newsprint from British Columbia, Ontario, and Québec made Canada extremely vulnerable to changes in world markets.

Purchasing on debt/high credit

Using a loan to buy something is called buying on credit. A bank offers you money and asks you to pay them back, along with some extra money called interest. Interest is a fee for borrowing money. The problem is that farmers were not the only people buying things on credit. Millions of Americans used credit to buy all sorts of things, like radios, refrigerators, washing machines, and cars. The banks even used credit to buy stocks in the stock market. This meant that everyone used credit, and no one had enough money to pay back all their loans, not even the banks.

Over-production

The Causes of the Great Depression Overproduction: The 1920s witnessed a rapid economic expansion, as manufacturers made and sold new products like cars, radios, and refrigerators. Many consumers lacked the money to buy these goods. Manufacturers were soon producing more goods than they could sell.

The Stock Market Crash of 1929

The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash or the Crash of '29, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It began in September, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) collapsed, and ended in mid-November.