Great Depression
The Great Depression was an economic depression that took place in the 1930s prior to World War II. The Great Depression affected nations worldwide, not just the United States. The effects were devastating and unemployment in the United States reached a high of 25 percent. Crop prices fell by about 60 percent, crushing farming communities nationwide. In the United States recovery from the Great Depression started in 1933, accelerated by Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal policies. World War II also played a part in boosting the economy as government spending increased and more jobs were created.