The Great Depression
Fifty Five days in 1929
The world watched as the market declined
After many months of expansion
What could be called reckless speculation
Ignorant that unemployment had risen
Consumer debt acquisition
Banks were extended
Growth in production had ended
Wages were low and stocks overrated
Balances due but unliquidated
Manufacturer’s producing but no one was buying
Investors ignored it; flat out denying
Spending kept slowing
Until the dollars stopped flowing
October 24th, some tried to cash-out
Then panic set in and things entered a rout
A record was set on the day called Black Thursday
12.9 million shares were traded away
The tip of the iceberg, the start of the fall
Then came Black Tuesday; the big margin call
Stocks bought on credit brought the rich to their knees
They lined up on the ledges, feeling the breeze
Many were penniless, they lost all their cash
The headlines were bold, The Stock Market Crashed!
Jobs disappeared; bread lines increased
Houses foreclosed on; people pushed to the street
President Hoover tried to keep spirits high
But words were no cure for the money supply
Starvation began as the farmers went broke
It looked like America was ready to choke
Confidence lost and a run on the banks
The cash wasn’t there; the remaining hope sank
FDR and the G-men stepped in
Fireside chats and new legislation
The next hundred days led to new regulations
A New Deal provided jobs for the nation
Right through the 30’s and some signs we’d recovered
Yet one other change happened, soon we’d discover
That socialists, communists, and extremists had grown
Demanding a change in how things were owned
Until tearfully, on a day in 1939
Stormtroopers and tanks crossed the Polish lines
The world made their choices and armies took sides
Consuming the globe so that no one could hide
Manufacturing grew as the war needed guns
Industrial production to the beat of their drums
A sad lengthy chapter called the Depression, did end
Replaced by one worse, as World War II did begin
- When We Lost Control - October 13, 2025
- The Crumbling Space Around Me - October 10, 2025
- Sorrow - October 9, 2025
Awesome piece RJ – It makes me wonder if we learned our lesson?
Nicely reiterated Ralph, my dad lived through the depression and war and told many a tales of what it was like for families. He didn’t see his father for many months at a time during the depression, on the road searching for any work at all to help feed his family. Well researched and written my friend.
Very well expressed on times of great fears and the unknown future. Such a trying and stressful time for everyone. Great work Ralph.