USA Depth Study -- Wall Street Crash

US History

How much was spent on magazine advertisement in 1919?

$3 billion

What was the unemployment rate in 1929?

5%

How many people were made homeless after the crash?

2 million

How many migrant workers were there in 1932?

2 million

What percentage of Americans lived in poverty?

40%

Example of uneven distribution of wealth

5% of Americans owned 1/3 of the wealth

What percentage of Americans were to poor to participate in the boom?

over 60%

By how much had prices fallen by 1920 and how many bankruptcies did it cause?

50%, 5 times as many bankruptcies

What did “buying on the margin” mean?

Only had to pay 10% of total price of share and the bank payed the rest

Which minority was heavily involved in speculation?

Women

What percentage of the Pennsylvania Railroad was owned by women?

Over 50%

After how many years did Europe finally place import tariffs on American goods?

9 years

How many banks failed per year by 1929?

500

What was the total amount that banks spent on speculation?

$9 billion

How many share owners were there in 1920 compared to 1929?

4 million in 1920 and 20 million in 1929

How many new investors were there by 1929 (per year)?

2-3 million

How many new investors were speculators?

600,000

Out of the total amount of investors, how many were big investors?

1.5 million

What was the price of the Union Carbide shares in March 1929 compared to September 1929?

$145 in March, $415 in September

When was Black Thursday?

October 24, 1929

When was Black Tuesday?

October 29, 1929

How many shares were traded on Black Thursday?

13 million

What percentage of the market was wiped out on Black Thursday?

11%

How many shares were traded on Black Thursday?

16 million

How many dollars were lost on Black Tuesday?

$10 billion

How much did the Vanderbilts loose after the crash?

$40 million

How much did Rockefeller loose after the crash?

80% of his wealth

How many banks failed in 1929?

700

How many banks were out of business by 1933?

9000

What was the biggest bank that went bankrupt?

Bank of United States in NYC

How many depositors did the Bank of United States have?

Over 400,000

What fraction of NY citizens saved with the Bank of the United States?

1/3

By how much did the GDP fall after 1929?

50%

How many dollars were removed from banks across the country?

Over 1 billion

How much was lost in personal savings?

$80 million

By how much did farm and industry production fall after the crash?

By 40%

From how much to how much did farm income slip?

from $10 billion to $4.5 billion

By how much did wages fall after the crash?

By 60%

How many Americans were unemployed by 1933?

14 million

What was the unemployment rate in 1933?

25%

What percentage of market value was lost after the crash?

50% (from $64 billion to $30 billion)

To how much did the price of a bush of corn drop?

$0.10

From how much to how much did international trade drop?

From $10 billion (1929) to $3 billion (1932)

What was the unemployment rate of Cleveland by 1933?

50%

What was the unemployment rate of Toledo by 1930?

80%

How many were unemployed in Chicago by 1930?

450,000

How many men travelled from place to place looking for jobs?

2 million

How many people died of starvation or malnutrition in NYC in 1931?

45

When was the Hoover Dam built?

1931

What was the Reconstruction Finance Company?

Company that gave loans to reduce the economic impact of the Great Depression

When was the RFC created?

1932

How many loans to banks did the RFC provide in 1933?

over $1.5 billion

In which two years did Hoover put tax cuts?

1930 and 1931

What was the Bonus Army?

Over 25,000 veterans marched on Washington DC demanding bonuses in 1932

How many men were killed during the Bonus Army oppression?

2

What was the Garner Wagner Relief Bill?

Gave $2.1 billion to USA to create jobs. Rejected by Hoover

How many states did Roosevelt win in the 1932 elections?

42/48

How many states did Roosevelt win in the 1936 elections?

46/48

How many people listened to Roosevelt’s fireside chats?

Over 60 million

How many speeches did Roosevelt do during his campaign?

Over 75

How many km did Roosevelt travel across the US during his campaign?

20,000km