The Great Depression was a period of immense poverty and unemployment throughout the United States and Europe. General misery and discontent in the Depression years gave rise to the popularity of right-wing politicians such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The Depression began in 1929 in the United States, when the stock market crashed and destroyed the financial reserves needed to fund industry. Less available money meant a drop in production, which led to massive unemployment and a loss of confidence in the economy. Countless banks failed when panicked investors withdrew their savings at the same time other clients could not make loan payments. The Depression quickly spread beyond America. To spark the economy, President Roosevelt began an ambitious program of government-funded projects. Industrial production for World War II, though, finally brought the U.S. economy back to full capacity.
