...the 1930s with the current crisis from United States’ Perspective 2012 GROUP 6 12/8/2012 SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT NARSEE MONJEE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Mumbai MBA 1st YEAR SUBMITTED TO DR. Chandrima Sikdar Table of Contents Introduction: 4 The Great Depression: From Herbert Hoover to FDR 5 Reasons behind the great depression: 7 Stock Market Crash of 1929 7 Bank Failures 7 Reduction in Purchasing Across the Board 7 American Economic Policy with Europe 7 Drought Conditions 7 Keynesian Solution to the great depression: 8 The recovery 9 Comparison of the great depression with the current stream of crisis: 11 The reaction of Government: 11 Collapse of share prices vs. collapse of asset price: 11 Unemployment: Different rates but similar outcomes: 11 International trade: Is it a real differentiator: 11 References: 13 Introduction: Recessions and business cycles are thought to be a normal part of living in a world of inexact balances between supply and demand. The current economic stream has given the Americans a déjà-vu of The Great depression, which lasted a decade (1929-1939). Though it is evident that there are similarities between the two scenarios, there are enough clues which indicate that there is difference in terms of a few measures used to understand the health of an economy. With the help of this report, we have made an attempt to analyze the two economic scenarios...
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...The Great Depression The Great Depression was a tragedy for the whole world, but it mostly damaged specifically one country, which had the best economic system in the world at that time - United States of America. The Great Depression was an economic collapse from 1930s to 1940s. This economic disaster was brought to life because of a huge amount of problems. There even were different types of problems, such as social, political, economic, or military problems. All together, they created this economic collapse. The official start of the Great Depression was originated in United States, during the day of October 29, 1929, referring to the article in New York Times. During that day, which was called Black Tuesday, a big economic problem appeared - the stock market crash. A huge amount of people lost a lot of their money just in one day. Prices on stock market fell down very quickly and people did not even get the money that they invested, they lost even more than half they invested. Prices kept falling - people kept losing their money. Secondly, with this crash, the banking system collapsed too. "The banking structure was inherently weak", wrote John Kenneth Galbraith in The Great Crash, which actually was one of the causes of the collapse. This situation appeared because people could not pay their money for using credit system, and so banks were 'destroyed' - "The weak destroyed not only the other weak, but weakened the strong...", says John Kenneth Galbraith. With these two...
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.... The Great Depression was a period of unprecedented decline in economic activity. It is generally agreed to have occurred between 1929 and 1939. Although parts of the economy had begun to recover by 1936, high unemployment persisted until the Second World War. Background To Great Depression: * The 1920s witnessed an economic boom in the US (typified by Ford Motor cars, which made a car within the grasp of ordinary workers for the first time). Industrial output expanded very rapidly. * Sales were often promoted through buying on credit. However, by early 1929, the steam had gone out of the economy and output was beginning to fall. * The stock market had boomed to record levels. Price to earning ratios were above historical averages. * The US Agricultural sector had been in recession for many more years * The UK economy had been experiencing deflation and high unemployment for much of the 1920s. This was mainly due to the cost of the first world war and attempting to rejoin the Gold standard at a pre world war 1 rate. This meant Sterling was overvalued causing lower exports and slower growth. The US tried to help the UK stay in the gold standard. That meant inflating the US economy, which contributed to the credit boom of the 1920s. Causes of Great Depression Stock Market Crash of October 1929 During September and October a few firms posted disappointing results causing share prices to fall. On October 28th (Black Monday), the decline in prices turned...
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...ever cost. Though for the best interest, centralized banks have helped and hurt their respective economies in many different ways. “During the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, financial panics plagued the nation, leading to bank failures and business bankruptcies that severely disrupted the economy. The failure of the nation's banking system to effectively provide funding to troubled depository institutions contributed significantly to the economy's vulnerability to financial panics” (Fox 1). I will be proving, as a liberal, how failed monetary policies of the Federal Reserve were the ongoing cause of the Great Depression. The onset of the Great Depression can be traced back to August 1929. In the fall of 1930, 15 months had passed since the beginning of the contraction; the economy finally began to appear poised for recovery. The last three contractions has lasted an average of 15 months. However,...
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...Part I: Pre-crisis time, what caused crisis, reasons of collapse In 1920s the economic progress in United States seemed everywhere, as Americans emerged from the self-imposed rationing and sacrifice of World War I and went on a buying spree. Millions of people across the country bought their first everything—their first automobile, washing machine, camera, radio, refrigerator. These products came off America’s assembly lines in an endless stream. More people were at work in U.S. factories and production plants than ever before, producing more goods than ever before. The U.S. economy was sometimes compared to an economic miracle. Consumers in the United States were not the only ones to experience good times. U.S. investors had also had a field day. Overseas, U.S. investments nearly doubled from $3.98 billion in 1919 to $7.5 billion by 1929. The New York Stock Exchange, which served for many as the truest indicator of the nation’s economic pulse, enjoyed phenomenal growth, especially after 1923. Stock purchases on the Exchange increased four-fold between 1923 and 1930. And stock sales were only outstripped by the rise in stock prices. Altogether, investment in the stock market and in bonds rose sharper than any other economic indicator during the decade, faster, in fact, than the actual production or sales of manufactured goods. During the 1920s a would-be investor could make his or her stock purchases largely on credit. Under the rules in place for the New York Stock Exchange,...
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...The Great Depression was the worst collapse in the history of American capitalism. Throughout the 1930s, neither the free market nor the federal government was able to get the country working again. The American people endured a full decade of almost unbelievable economic misery. While a much-feared revolution of either Communist or fascist persuasion, thankfully never materialized, Americans flirted with a number of radical alternatives to the status quo. Some of those radical alternatives faded into memory, while others were incorporated into the New Deal, where a few remain with us even today. The Great Depression plunged the American people into an economic crisis unlike any endured in this country before or since. The worst and longest downturn in our economic history threw millions of hardworking individuals into poverty, and for more than a decade neither the free market nor the federal government was able to restore prosperity. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in 1930 and lasted until the late 1930s or middle 1940s. It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. The depression originated in the U.S., after the fall in stock prices that began around September...
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...“http://www.britannica.com” It preceded the decade of World War II. North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas were affected. This economic drop started in 1929 and went on till about 1939. “http://www.britannica.com” President Herbert Hoover was in office at the start of the depression. It is said that the Great Depression began with a catastrophic collapse of stock-market prices in the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. “http://www.english.illinois.edu” This is also known as Black Tuesday. ”http://topics.nytimes.com” Some call it Black Wednesday or Black Thursday, because it ran over a three day span. The following three years the stock market prices continued to decrease. Towards the end of 1932 the market had dropped about 20 percent of what it was in 1929. “http://www.english.illinois.edu” This decline hurt thousands of individual investors, forcing them to close. Not only did this collapse affect individual investors, but it strained banks and other financial institutions. This strain forced thousands of banks in the United States to close. “http://www.topics.nytimes.com” During this depression unemployment rates rose up to 25 percent. Other countries rose up higher reaching 33 percent. Cities that depended on heavy industries were hit harder and in some countries it halted them. In the mid 1930’s some economies started to recover. Interest rates dropped to low levels, but consumer spending and investments were scarce. Due to the scarce...
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...The great depression was a dramatic, world wide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928. The beginning of the great depression in the United States is associated with the stock market crash in October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday and the end is associated with the onset of the war economy of World War II, beginning around 1939. The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade decline, personal incomes, tax revenues, prices and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard. Construction was really slow and so was farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by 40 to 60 percent. The great depression ended at different times in different countries. The great depression was not a sudden total collapse. The stock markets turn upward in the early 1930’s. Together government and business actually spent more in the first half on 1930 than the previous year. Consumers, many of those whom had suffered severe losses in the stock market the prior year cut back on there expenses by 10 percent. In the 1930, credit was available at low rates. People did not want to add new debt by barrowing. By May 1930, auto sales began to decline to below levels of 1928. Prices in general began to decline. Although wages were held for the moment they began to drop in 1931. Conditions were worse in the farming areas. By late 1930 a steady decline set in which reached bottom by...
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...The U.S. Banking Panic of 1933 and Federal Deposit Insurance 1. In 1929 there were more than 25,000 commercial banks in the U.S. Today there are still approximately 7000 banks. In most other countries there are just a handful of major banks – often 4 to 8 institutions dominate the market place. What explains the vastly different character of the banking system in the U.S. from that of other countries? Similarly, most other countries have not in the past provided government sponsored deposit insurance, though some have put it in place as part of their response to the credit crisis. Does the unique structure of the U.S. banking system indicate a greater need for such insurance? In 1933, banks in the United States were unsecure and there was widespread fear based on the previous closures. Depositors panicked as banks were experiencing difficulties. What differentiated U.S banks from other banks is that US banks were composed of two main banks: national banks that were following the federal law and regulation and which it could share funds and resources across US, and the State banks that were following the state law and regulations. It was proven after the crisis that local units banks were more vulnerable to the crisis than national banks. Many states restricted branch banks form developing that made some banks riskier and it limited their liquidity. In 1929 crash, customers were unable to pay back their loans that led to a severe liquidity problem as payment of loans and...
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...In this week's reading the chapters both talk about Nationalism in Latin America. The definition of Nationalism in the book Problems in Modern Latin American History, by James Wood, is the identification of a large group of individuals with a nation. In the book Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, by John Chasteen, it says that nationalists were often urban , middle class, mixed race, or recent immigrants. It is said that Nationalism is one of the most widespread and influential ideologies in modern world history. In this week's reading for James Wood, entitled "Nationalism", it talks about Nationalism and how it affected Latin American countries. An example of how Nationalism affected Latin America is the Cuban war for independence from Spain, which happened from 1868 to 1898. Jose Marti was a apostle of Cuban Independence, in which he earned this title from many years of fighting for this cause. Jose had died on the battlefield fighting for Cuba's independence in 1895. Due to his belief about Cuba being independent, Jose was imprisoned and was also exiled from Cuba. Jose Marti's most famous essay was published in newspapers in both New York and Mexico City in January of 1891. In this essay he talks about the blindness of the previous Latin American governments to what was actually going on in the that region. The Mexican Revolution of 1910 had posed a revolutionary challenge to the neocolonial system. Francisco Madero had led a campaign to overthrow...
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...In the early 1930’s a question arose; should the country accept Roosevelt's new deal, or would the new deal destroy America (Dudley 101)? In favor of the New Deal was Franklin D. Roosevelt, the then governor of New York and the author of the aforementioned deal (Dudley 101). In the speech announcing his acceptance of his presidential nomination, Franklin Roosevelt announced a proposal for a New Deal (Dudley 101). Mr. Roosevelt said “A depression so deep that it is without precedent in modern history” (Dudley 101). That quote means that the country was in a depression so deep, that there was no coming out of it prosperously, without actively fixing what was broken. On the opposing side of the new deal, believing that the New Deal would destroy America, was Herbert Hoover (Dudley 104). Herbert Hoover was president during the early years of the Great...
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...The Great Depression was an economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialized areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialized Western world. Though the U.S. economy had gone into depression six months earlier, the Great Depression may be said to have begun with a catastrophic collapse of stock-market prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929. During the next three years stock prices in the United States continued to fall, until by late 1932 they had dropped to only about 20 percent of their value in 1929. Besides ruining many thousands of individual investors, this precipitous decline in the value of assets greatly strained banks and other financial institutions, particularly those holding stocks in their portfolios. Many banks were consequently forced into insolvency; by 1933, 11,000 of the United States' 25,000 banks had failed. The failure of so many banks, combined with a general and nationwide loss of confidence in the economy, led to much-reduced levels of spending and demand and hence of production, thus aggravating the downward spiral. The result was drastically falling output and drastically rising unemployment; by 1932, U.S. manufacturing output had fallen to 54 percent of its 1929 level, and unemployment had risen to between 12 and 15 million workers, or 25-30 percent of the work force. The Great Depression began in the United States...
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...The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in 1930 and lasted until the late 1930s or middle 1940s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the world's economy can decline. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by approximately 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as cash cropping, mining and logging suffered the most. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s. In many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until after the end of World War II. Start Economic historians usually attribute the start of the Great Depression to the sudden devastating collapse of US stock market prices on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday; some dispute this conclusion, and see the stock crash as a symptom, rather than a cause, of the Great Depression. Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, optimism persisted for some time; John D. Rockefeller said that "These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come and...
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...impossible for them to renew war with France. The loss of World War I was still sharp on many minds, and the economic depression was in full effect. The Weimar Republic was Germany’s new form of government that replaced the German Empire....
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...Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Harlem Renaissance had an enormous effect on African American culture, making it the most important literary movement in African American history. However, what conditions led to this development of culture? The Harlem Renaissance was made possible by the Great Migration. Millions of African Americans left the harsh conditions in the South of the United States starting about 1910 in order to seek economic and educational possibilities in the northern cities, as well as safety from racial violence and discrimination. Major northern cities saw an increase in the black population as a result of this mass movement, which laid the foundation for the thriving cultural environment that would develop in Harlem, New...
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