Why The Great Depression Wasn't As Bad As You Think
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Date: 2025-07-20
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Comments and reviews: 20
willcorg1979
This video is incredibly misleading.
The main reason for the collapse was stock market manipulation, not tariffs.
1. Stock Market Crash of 1929: The dramatic collapse of stock prices in October 1929 eroded public confidence, wiped out significant wealth, and reduced investment and consumption. It exposed underlying economic weaknesses and triggered widespread panic.
2. Bank Failures: Thousands of banks collapsed due to bad loans, speculative investments, and lack of deposit insurance. By 1933, over 9, 000 banks had failed, destroying savings and restricting credit, which crippled business and consumer spending.
3. Overproduction: Industries and agriculture produced more goods than could be consumed. Surpluses led to falling prices, reduced profits, and layoffs, particularly in farming, where mechanization and debt worsened the situation.
4. Unequal Wealth Distribution: A large wealth gap meant most Americans had limited purchasing power. While the rich invested heavily in stocks, the working class relied on credit, leading to unsustainable debt levels.
5. Decline in Consumer Spending: As unemployment rose and confidence fell, consumers cut spending, reducing demand and forcing businesses to scale back production and lay off workers, creating a downward economic spiral.
6. Weak Government Policies: The Federal Reserve’s tight monetary policy restricted money supply, exacerbating deflation and limiting recovery. High tariffs, like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, reduced global trade, deepening the crisis.
7. Global Economic Issues: Europe’s post-World War I economic struggles, coupled with war debt and reparations, weakened global markets. The U. S. reduced lending abroad, and international trade collapsed, spreading the depression worldwide.
These factors combined to create a catastrophic economic downturn, marked by 25% unemployment in the U. S, widespread poverty, and a slow recovery until World War II boosted industrial output.
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This video is incredibly misleading.
The main reason for the collapse was stock market manipulation, not tariffs.
1. Stock Market Crash of 1929: The dramatic collapse of stock prices in October 1929 eroded public confidence, wiped out significant wealth, and reduced investment and consumption. It exposed underlying economic weaknesses and triggered widespread panic.
2. Bank Failures: Thousands of banks collapsed due to bad loans, speculative investments, and lack of deposit insurance. By 1933, over 9, 000 banks had failed, destroying savings and restricting credit, which crippled business and consumer spending.
3. Overproduction: Industries and agriculture produced more goods than could be consumed. Surpluses led to falling prices, reduced profits, and layoffs, particularly in farming, where mechanization and debt worsened the situation.
4. Unequal Wealth Distribution: A large wealth gap meant most Americans had limited purchasing power. While the rich invested heavily in stocks, the working class relied on credit, leading to unsustainable debt levels.
5. Decline in Consumer Spending: As unemployment rose and confidence fell, consumers cut spending, reducing demand and forcing businesses to scale back production and lay off workers, creating a downward economic spiral.
6. Weak Government Policies: The Federal Reserve’s tight monetary policy restricted money supply, exacerbating deflation and limiting recovery. High tariffs, like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, reduced global trade, deepening the crisis.
7. Global Economic Issues: Europe’s post-World War I economic struggles, coupled with war debt and reparations, weakened global markets. The U. S. reduced lending abroad, and international trade collapsed, spreading the depression worldwide.
These factors combined to create a catastrophic economic downturn, marked by 25% unemployment in the U. S, widespread poverty, and a slow recovery until World War II boosted industrial output.
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dmcjewagner
Question as your claim tariffs caused the great depression. At the beginning of the great depression did many nations have tariffs as high as 100% like Canada and many other countries against the US I bring this up as you showed Trump and made this connection. If you listen to many economist who were concerned about tariffs in the beginning of Trump they now are saying the US is growing because of them. No longer is the US paying to sell stuff in other countries. I am a collector of history books, and I am wondering when gathering your information you looked at history text from the early 1900s or just after 2000. If you really want to know the cause of the great depression look at the winners. Oil, aviation, automotive, grocery, Hollywood, alcohol manufacturers, real estate, and stocks all made huge advancements during the great depression. While the average person struggled certain businesses had strategically placed themselves to take advantage of the second smaller stock market fail. Family wealth lasting for generations were made during this time. Names like Kennedy, Trump, Boeing, Chrysler, Getty, Cullen, and more got their start or at least greatest boost from the Great Depression. So was the Great Depression a result of tariffs or did big business see an opportunity during one financial crisis to take over the optics and make a bad day look like a crisis and take an opportunity to manufacture a money making opportunity.
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Question as your claim tariffs caused the great depression. At the beginning of the great depression did many nations have tariffs as high as 100% like Canada and many other countries against the US I bring this up as you showed Trump and made this connection. If you listen to many economist who were concerned about tariffs in the beginning of Trump they now are saying the US is growing because of them. No longer is the US paying to sell stuff in other countries. I am a collector of history books, and I am wondering when gathering your information you looked at history text from the early 1900s or just after 2000. If you really want to know the cause of the great depression look at the winners. Oil, aviation, automotive, grocery, Hollywood, alcohol manufacturers, real estate, and stocks all made huge advancements during the great depression. While the average person struggled certain businesses had strategically placed themselves to take advantage of the second smaller stock market fail. Family wealth lasting for generations were made during this time. Names like Kennedy, Trump, Boeing, Chrysler, Getty, Cullen, and more got their start or at least greatest boost from the Great Depression. So was the Great Depression a result of tariffs or did big business see an opportunity during one financial crisis to take over the optics and make a bad day look like a crisis and take an opportunity to manufacture a money making opportunity.
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sugarplum5824
Things were pretty bad for lots of folks but conditions were horrible for the folks who had the Dust Bowl adding to their misery. They couldn't grow anything on their ravaged land and what little grew was quickly consumed by grasshoppers and rabbits. My 90 year old MIL grew up in Pittsburgh and recalls hungry, unemployed men who would come to their back doors to ask for food. It was demoralizing and emasculating, knowing they couldn't provide for their families. My grandfather owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store, which he eventually lost, because so many people asked for groceries on credit, and they were unable to pay for it later. My husband's grandfather was the only physician in a small town in WV. He bartered his services in lieu of cash, getting paid in chickens, eggs, milk and produce. No one in my family actually went hungry, despite the large number of children they had, as they were all able to find employment but times were still lean.
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Things were pretty bad for lots of folks but conditions were horrible for the folks who had the Dust Bowl adding to their misery. They couldn't grow anything on their ravaged land and what little grew was quickly consumed by grasshoppers and rabbits. My 90 year old MIL grew up in Pittsburgh and recalls hungry, unemployed men who would come to their back doors to ask for food. It was demoralizing and emasculating, knowing they couldn't provide for their families. My grandfather owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store, which he eventually lost, because so many people asked for groceries on credit, and they were unable to pay for it later. My husband's grandfather was the only physician in a small town in WV. He bartered his services in lieu of cash, getting paid in chickens, eggs, milk and produce. No one in my family actually went hungry, despite the large number of children they had, as they were all able to find employment but times were still lean.
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RFsounds7
The depression was already in Europe prior to our depression here. It was one of the causes of OUR depression, as Europe was in shambles after WWI.
Next, the tariffs didn't cause as many of the issue as you are portraying. People's finances and savings were wiped out. Americans didn't have anything or much to spend. The tariffs were put in place to help Americans KEEP their jobs and keep manufacturing going. Also, European nations owed us a ton of money; billions. The tariffs were put in to place to recoup some of those losses. Soooooooo, booooo on you weird history. Let's leave the modern day politics out of it, and perhaps tell the whole story.
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The depression was already in Europe prior to our depression here. It was one of the causes of OUR depression, as Europe was in shambles after WWI.
Next, the tariffs didn't cause as many of the issue as you are portraying. People's finances and savings were wiped out. Americans didn't have anything or much to spend. The tariffs were put in place to help Americans KEEP their jobs and keep manufacturing going. Also, European nations owed us a ton of money; billions. The tariffs were put in to place to recoup some of those losses. Soooooooo, booooo on you weird history. Let's leave the modern day politics out of it, and perhaps tell the whole story.
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BillHinermanMusic
This video is heinously deceptive about tariffs. E. g, 1) The U. S. has basically always used tariffs. In fact, tariffs were THE primary source of revenue for the federal government from the 1790s onward.
2) After the Civil War, the U. S. used tariffs to protect businesses going into the industrial revolution.
3) Yes, the U. S. did pass new tariffs regulations in 1930, but we LOWERED tariffs by passing the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934.
4) So the tariffs act of 1930 was NOT new to the U. S, tariffs did NOT cause the Great Depression, and tariffs are NOT always bad, as this video says.
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This video is heinously deceptive about tariffs. E. g, 1) The U. S. has basically always used tariffs. In fact, tariffs were THE primary source of revenue for the federal government from the 1790s onward.
2) After the Civil War, the U. S. used tariffs to protect businesses going into the industrial revolution.
3) Yes, the U. S. did pass new tariffs regulations in 1930, but we LOWERED tariffs by passing the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934.
4) So the tariffs act of 1930 was NOT new to the U. S, tariffs did NOT cause the Great Depression, and tariffs are NOT always bad, as this video says.
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theresemalmberg955
Sounds like here we go again (tariffs. My mom and dad lived through the Depression, but their experience was not that bad. Both of my grandparents had good jobs. One was an accountant for Hanna Mine and the other worked for the Post Office. In addition, he had a farm outside of town. Not saying money wasn't tight, but they weren't going hungry or living in cardboard boxes. My dad told a story about being upset when someone took his new mittens at school. His mother said, maybe they needed them more than you did. So they were aware that others lived in poverty.
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Sounds like here we go again (tariffs. My mom and dad lived through the Depression, but their experience was not that bad. Both of my grandparents had good jobs. One was an accountant for Hanna Mine and the other worked for the Post Office. In addition, he had a farm outside of town. Not saying money wasn't tight, but they weren't going hungry or living in cardboard boxes. My dad told a story about being upset when someone took his new mittens at school. His mother said, maybe they needed them more than you did. So they were aware that others lived in poverty.
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kirbymarchbarcena
If I recall correctly, both my paternal and maternal grandfathers told their respective stories to me and my cousins when their parents couldn't find work in their own town. They, fortunately, were granted rights for idle, public lands to farm with because of their contributions during WW2 and the Vietnam Wars. I don't know the specifics on how they were able to buy those hectares of land which my uncles are now farming. I guess they were both lucky to survive from the Great Depression, after WW2 and retired during the Vietnam war and I am fully greatful for it.
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If I recall correctly, both my paternal and maternal grandfathers told their respective stories to me and my cousins when their parents couldn't find work in their own town. They, fortunately, were granted rights for idle, public lands to farm with because of their contributions during WW2 and the Vietnam Wars. I don't know the specifics on how they were able to buy those hectares of land which my uncles are now farming. I guess they were both lucky to survive from the Great Depression, after WW2 and retired during the Vietnam war and I am fully greatful for it.
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LunaErosStudios
Hoover should've stuck to his guns and kept vetoing the tariffs. And no, coming off the gold standard helped stop the wealthy from hoarding. And high marginal tax rate for them KEPT them from hoarding all the way until It started getting chipped away at in the 60s and then that evil Reagan plummeted it where it's stayed ever since so programs like social security, medicaid and medicare started losing their effectiveness helping people. We need laws against the accumulation of wealth above a certain amount like other western first world countries.
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Hoover should've stuck to his guns and kept vetoing the tariffs. And no, coming off the gold standard helped stop the wealthy from hoarding. And high marginal tax rate for them KEPT them from hoarding all the way until It started getting chipped away at in the 60s and then that evil Reagan plummeted it where it's stayed ever since so programs like social security, medicaid and medicare started losing their effectiveness helping people. We need laws against the accumulation of wealth above a certain amount like other western first world countries.
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Democratsrock
My dad was a depression kid. My grandfather, had some health issues which kept him from working at times. However my grandmother worked at Wrigleys during that time. Wrigley was one of the companies that was able to survive during the depression and hold onto its employees. I believe that’s why my grandparents, dad and my aunt were able to make it through the depression. They were far from rich, but with my grandmothers job, they were able to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and pay their bills. They were extremely lucky.
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My dad was a depression kid. My grandfather, had some health issues which kept him from working at times. However my grandmother worked at Wrigleys during that time. Wrigley was one of the companies that was able to survive during the depression and hold onto its employees. I believe that’s why my grandparents, dad and my aunt were able to make it through the depression. They were far from rich, but with my grandmothers job, they were able to keep a roof over their head, food on the table, and pay their bills. They were extremely lucky.
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markfarrell3671
My great-grandfather was an indentured servant he was an Irish man
he worked on a farm for over 10 years without getting the chance to become a citizen
World war I broke out he went and fought in the trenches to gain his citizenship and he did
Fast forward to the depression he worked in a shoe shop in the shoe shop wanted to unionize he continued working and continue to be the victim of severe racism
But he fed a family of five had a house and a car cuz he shut up and worked hard
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My great-grandfather was an indentured servant he was an Irish man
he worked on a farm for over 10 years without getting the chance to become a citizen
World war I broke out he went and fought in the trenches to gain his citizenship and he did
Fast forward to the depression he worked in a shoe shop in the shoe shop wanted to unionize he continued working and continue to be the victim of severe racism
But he fed a family of five had a house and a car cuz he shut up and worked hard
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frankm. 2850
We don't learn from history because we let short term businesspeople advocate for their best interests. We're heading for another great depression now because we're once again putting asinine tariffs in place to enrich the already wealthy, not caring that its going to destroy the economy, because this country doesn't actually give two shits about the people who live here, just the corporations and making them richer
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We don't learn from history because we let short term businesspeople advocate for their best interests. We're heading for another great depression now because we're once again putting asinine tariffs in place to enrich the already wealthy, not caring that its going to destroy the economy, because this country doesn't actually give two shits about the people who live here, just the corporations and making them richer
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NickT771
My grandfather lived during through the Great Depression did you or did you read it in a textbook Because assholes like you excuse, my language are so full of shit because you read things out of a textbook and you never lived it so what is this prologue to the next depression that you guys are setting up Are you easing the pain that’s gonna happen in the future by saying it wasn’t so bad in the past
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My grandfather lived during through the Great Depression did you or did you read it in a textbook Because assholes like you excuse, my language are so full of shit because you read things out of a textbook and you never lived it so what is this prologue to the next depression that you guys are setting up Are you easing the pain that’s gonna happen in the future by saying it wasn’t so bad in the past
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leedsman54
Some places suffered much more than others. In my area in northern England, a heavy industrial area, there was great hardship whereas in the south it wasn’t quite so bad. My mother lived through it and told me stories of how her mother bought horse meat(not telling her father what it was, and grandad being out of work. People survived a lot on charity and by using the pawn shop.
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Some places suffered much more than others. In my area in northern England, a heavy industrial area, there was great hardship whereas in the south it wasn’t quite so bad. My mother lived through it and told me stories of how her mother bought horse meat(not telling her father what it was, and grandad being out of work. People survived a lot on charity and by using the pawn shop.
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MrShadow-qz9xj
This video is more about splitting hairs than actually dealing with bonified misconceptions. Which is because Weird history doesn't to commit to a side in world events. which they epically failed in doing. As this video is very clearly a politically motivated don't let history repeat itself. As it literally hits on every key point on what is happening in the economy today.
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This video is more about splitting hairs than actually dealing with bonified misconceptions. Which is because Weird history doesn't to commit to a side in world events. which they epically failed in doing. As this video is very clearly a politically motivated don't let history repeat itself. As it literally hits on every key point on what is happening in the economy today.
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starrtraveler3496
My grandmother was pregnant with my dad and there was no food except beans and potato’s no money at all. they went through all their savings my grandmother would go to the parks and pick dandelion greens and other plants and my grand father fished then they moved out to the country with extended family and they lived like this till he got a job in the TVA
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My grandmother was pregnant with my dad and there was no food except beans and potato’s no money at all. they went through all their savings my grandmother would go to the parks and pick dandelion greens and other plants and my grand father fished then they moved out to the country with extended family and they lived like this till he got a job in the TVA
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RoyWright210
You idiots realize the problems currently that lead to the need of tariffs right Presidents all the way back to Obama said that we need to get the situation under control because we were becoming too reliant on foreign goods. Unsubscribing. Hate idiots that spread this shit because they rely on people just believing what they hear on social media platforms
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You idiots realize the problems currently that lead to the need of tariffs right Presidents all the way back to Obama said that we need to get the situation under control because we were becoming too reliant on foreign goods. Unsubscribing. Hate idiots that spread this shit because they rely on people just believing what they hear on social media platforms
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firstlast1047
I read a book that stated the Gross natioal product (GNP) of the US grew during WW 2 Without the use of the A bombs and the will power, the USwould have out produced snd out spent the Axis'. The rationing of gasoline was 12: 31 utilized to reduce the need for rubber (tires) There was sufficient refinery capacity to supply domestic and defense needs.
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I read a book that stated the Gross natioal product (GNP) of the US grew during WW 2 Without the use of the A bombs and the will power, the USwould have out produced snd out spent the Axis'. The rationing of gasoline was 12: 31 utilized to reduce the need for rubber (tires) There was sufficient refinery capacity to supply domestic and defense needs.
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candiceattrill2272
I think a new title for this vidio should be found. May be correcting some myths about the great depression, but this title is dismissive the trite. My grand parents lived through the depression, and all four them had stories some of them they didn't even want to share with the grand kids. You all starved. it's not so bad. No!
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I think a new title for this vidio should be found. May be correcting some myths about the great depression, but this title is dismissive the trite. My grand parents lived through the depression, and all four them had stories some of them they didn't even want to share with the grand kids. You all starved. it's not so bad. No!
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MarkB-c6j
Wow, yeah, I'm gonna go with what another viewer commented, I believe more what my uncles and aunts and grandparents and great grand parents told me and shared with me. They lived it, and in no way did they lie, fib or exaggerate something that they had to figure out and make something of themselves right through the thick of it.
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Wow, yeah, I'm gonna go with what another viewer commented, I believe more what my uncles and aunts and grandparents and great grand parents told me and shared with me. They lived it, and in no way did they lie, fib or exaggerate something that they had to figure out and make something of themselves right through the thick of it.
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Thedefenses
So, to note, no this video is NOT saying your family did not suffer, NO this video is not a history of the great depression and YES, just due to 40% of the population not suffering any great changes to their life, that still means 60% did so no, they are not daying the great depression was not a bad time to be alive.
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So, to note, no this video is NOT saying your family did not suffer, NO this video is not a history of the great depression and YES, just due to 40% of the population not suffering any great changes to their life, that still means 60% did so no, they are not daying the great depression was not a bad time to be alive.
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