How did the Great Depression affect the American economy? In the United States, where the Depression was generally worst, industrial production between 1929 and 1933 fell by nearly 47 percent, gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 30 percent, and unemployment reached more than 20 percent.

They increased stock market investments to offset declining offerings. They openly campaigned for Herbert Hoover and the Republican Party. They merged with synagogues and mosques to reduce costs.

Interest payments alone accounted for 63.2 per cent of the country’s shrinking income. The government responded to the crisis by borrowing more money from abroad. As the Depression deepened, however, the pool of willing lenders dried up.

The Soviet Union was the world’s only socialist state with very little international trade. Its economy was not tied to the rest of the world and was only slightly affected by the Great Depression. Despite all of this, The Great Depression caused mass immigration to the Soviet Union, mostly from Finland and Germany.

The stock market crash of 1929 was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, but it did act to accelerate the global economic collapse of which it was also a symptom. By 1933, nearly half of America’s banks had failed, and unemployment was approaching 15 million people, or 30 percent of the workforce.

During a recession the opposite happens. Companies are forced to make cuts, leading to job losses, while governments either reduce spending, which affects services, or increase taxes. All of this normally leads to house prices falling.

Usually, though not always, house prices rise during periods of economic growth and slow down in periods of decline. When a recession is on the horizon, uncertainty about house prices and job losses can halt demand and prevent purchases, resulting in lower property values.