A historian needs to describe the various influences of the age, the climate of opinion or intellectual atmosphere, and the effect of that period of history on subsequent centuries. Above all, the historian will attempt to show the meaning of the events so that readers will understand the significance of the period to human existence Porter, 2002).
Could the Great Depression have been avoided?
Most historians will agree that the two main factors that lead to the Great Depression were the crash of the stock market, and the Great Plains Dust Bowl.
The stock market was the scene of reckless speculation, where everyone from millionaire tycoons to cooks and janitors poured their savings into stocks. As a result, the stock market underwent rapid expansion, reaching its peak in August 1929. In October of 1929 however, the stock market …show more content…
Had our government at that time had the foresight to begin regulating this type of betting, it would not have lead inflated values of those stocks to be significantly higher than their actual worth. Being that most government officials at that time were of the affluent crowd, they most probably were among those involved in active investing.
As well, in previous depressions, farmers were usually safe from the severe effects of a depression because they could at least feed themselves. Unfortunately, during the Great Depression, the Great Plains were hit hard with both a drought and horrendous dust storms, creating what became known as the Dust Bowl (Great, 2017).
These conditions were caused by over grazing, over-tilling, and growing the same crops in the same fields year after year. Had farmers used practices such as no-till farming, natural irrigation, contour plowing and crop rotation, it would not have caused the grass to disappear, which leads to topsoil dust being picked up by the wind creating further
Could the Great Depression have been avoided?
Most historians will agree that the two main factors that lead to the Great Depression were the crash of the stock market, and the Great Plains Dust Bowl.
The stock market was the scene of reckless speculation, where everyone from millionaire tycoons to cooks and janitors poured their savings into stocks. As a result, the stock market underwent rapid expansion, reaching its peak in August 1929. In October of 1929 however, the stock market …show more content…
Had our government at that time had the foresight to begin regulating this type of betting, it would not have lead inflated values of those stocks to be significantly higher than their actual worth. Being that most government officials at that time were of the affluent crowd, they most probably were among those involved in active investing.
As well, in previous depressions, farmers were usually safe from the severe effects of a depression because they could at least feed themselves. Unfortunately, during the Great Depression, the Great Plains were hit hard with both a drought and horrendous dust storms, creating what became known as the Dust Bowl (Great, 2017).
These conditions were caused by over grazing, over-tilling, and growing the same crops in the same fields year after year. Had farmers used practices such as no-till farming, natural irrigation, contour plowing and crop rotation, it would not have caused the grass to disappear, which leads to topsoil dust being picked up by the wind creating further