STUDENT MATERIALS

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL DEPRESSION

Directions: In this activity, you are going to evaluate consequences of the Great Depression based on GDP data from around the world. To do this, you will map some data onto a graph and then answer some questions about that data. France has already been mapped out on the graph as an example of how to plot the data.

GDP Per Capita in International Dollars

France India Malaysia Chile Mexico USSR Germany U.S.

1929 4,710 728 1,682 3,396 1,757 1,386 4,051 6,899

1930 4,532 726 1,636 3,143 1,618 1,448 3,973 6,213

1931 4,235 711 1,548 2,333 1,643 1,462 3,652 5,691

1932 3,959 709 1,397 2,274 1,373 1,439 3,362 4,908

1933 4,239 700 1,440 2,652 1,501 1,493 3,556 4,777

1934 4,192 697 1,540 2,987 1,574 1,630 3,858 5,114

1935 4,086 680 1,364 3,056 1,660 1,864 4,120 5,467

1936 4,244 697 1,478 3,056 1,768 1,991 4,451 6,204

1937 4,487 676 1,308 3,241 1,796 2,156 4,685 6,430

1938 4,466 668 1,361 3,139 1,794 2,150 4,994 6,126

1939 4,793 674 1,609 3,178 1,858 2,237 5,406 6,561

Source: OECD, 2003.

BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.6 ACTIVITY

TEACHER MATERIALS

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL DEPRESSION (ANSWER KEY)BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.6 ACTIVITY

GDP Per Capita 1929-1939

7000

6750

6500

6250

6000

5750

5500

5250

5000

4750

4500

4250

4000

3750

3500

3250

3000

2250

2000

1750

1500

1250

1000

750

500

250

0

GD

P Pe

r Ca

pita

Years1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

France

India

Malaysia

Chile

MexicoUSSR

Germany

U.S.

TEACHER MATERIALS

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL DEPRESSION (ANSWER KEY)BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.6 ACTIVITY

Questions:

1. When did most countries hit bottom?

Sample answer: The period between 1931 and 1932 appears to be the worst.

2. Did any countries hit bottom at a different time?

Sample answer: The United States continued to decline into 1933.

3. Which two countries experienced the steepest decline in living standards?

Sample answer: Chile experienced the biggest decline, and the US was a close second.

4. One country actually experienced an increase in GDP during this time. Which one was it? Give a hypothesis about why this might have happened.

Sample answer: The USSR experienced an increase.

5. Does it seem that most countries had recovered by the late 1930s? Are there any that didn’t? Give some examples and provide the relevant data.

Sample answer: By 1939, it looks like almost all countries had recovered except for India. India’s GDP declined from 728 to 674 during this decade. France’s GDP in 1929 was 4,710, and in 1939 it was 4,793. Also, some were not quite back to their original GDP, but they were close. Malaysia went from 1,682 to 1,609.

Name: Date:

STUDENT MATERIALS

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL DEPRESSIONBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.6 ACTIVITY

GDP Per Capita 1929-1939

7000

6750

6500

6250

6000

5750

5500

5250

5000

4750

4500

4250

4000

3750

3500

3250

3000

2250

2000

1750

1500

1250

1000

750

500

250

0

GD

P Pe

r Ca

pita

Years1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

France

Name: Date:

STUDENT MATERIALS

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL DEPRESSIONBIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 9.6 ACTIVITY

Questions:

1. When did most countries hit bottom?

2. Did any countries hit bottom at a different time?

3. Which two countries experienced the steepest decline in living standards?

4. One country actually experienced an increase in GDP during this time. Which one was it and give a hypothesis about why this might have happened.

5. Does it seem that most countries had recovered by the late 1930’s? Are there any that didn’t? Give some examples and provide the relevant data.