Introduction to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Start of the Great Depression
Famous Headline INTRODUCTION Before reading this essay, I strongly recommend you see a PBS video on YouTube. Type in Stock Market Crash 1929. Look for: US – The Crash of 1929 (PBS), ALLHISTORIES – PLAYLIST. The documentary is broken into 6 parts to show commercials. Or purchase the video on Amazon. Great documentary with wonderful photos, videos, and scenes from movies of the 1920s and the crash. Shows what a crazy time it was and how some of the manic behavior of the 1920s contributed to the frenzied speculation of the stock market in 1928 and 1929. I also recommend you read Frederick Lewis Allen, Only Yesterday; An Informal History of the 1920’s . This a wonderful popular history on the 1920s and the crash. It shows how the economic, social, and psychological changes in the 1920s contributed to the speculative frenzy in the stock market. The author lived through it all. You can skip some of the chapters the first time through; for example, skip Chapters ...