1. The Great Depression, 1929-1941 Origins  1919-1929

2. What causes an economy to go into decline
What causes an economy to go into decline? What (if anything)can the government do prevent this? Why is it so difficult for government to respond to the conditions that bring on an economic decline? Why does government sometimes make the economic decline worse?

3. Cause #1 – The International Economic Situation

4. Things you need to know: -- why were war debts and
Things you need to know: -- why were war debts and reparations a problem? -- what causes inflation? -- why was hyperinflation a bad thing? -- what caused the stock market to rise so quickly? -- why did the U.S. stock market crash have a global impact?

5. Cause #2 – Unwise Tariff Policies

6. Things you need to know: -- why should a CREDITOR nation
Things you need to know: -- why should a CREDITOR nation lower its tariff? -- why did the U.S. raise its tariff after the stock market crash? -- why was raising the tariff a bad idea? -- why was cutting government spending a bad idea?

7. Cause #3 – Unwise Tax Policies

8. Things you need to know: --why did some people believe cutting taxes would produce economic growth? -- why did cutting taxes in the 1920s fail to produce significant economic growth? -- why are the housing and automobile markets important to the overall health of the economy?

9. Cause #4 – Mistakes by the Federal Reserve

10. Things you need to know: --what are the two main powers of the Federal Reserve? -- how do interest rates affect people’s spending habits? -- why did the actions of the Federal Reserve during the late s make things worse?

11. Cause #5 – Lack of Economic Knowledge

12. Things you need to know: -- What knowledge did
Things you need to know: -- What knowledge did government officials lack? -- Why did so many well-intended policies end up doing so much harm?