The Great Depression: Causes and Impact

This topic benefits from active learning because students need to grasp complex systems—how economic policies, global trade, and social conditions interacted to create a crisis. Simulations and collaborative tasks help students move beyond memorizing dates to understanding cause and effect relationships.

• Year 9
• History
• 3 activities
• 30 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the key economic factors that contributed to the 1929 Wall Street Crash.
2. Explain the global and domestic consequences of the Great Depression on employment and living standards in Britain.
3. Compare the different governmental strategies implemented in Britain and the United States to address the economic crisis.
4. Evaluate the social unrest and political shifts in Britain resulting from mass unemployment during the 1930s.

Simulation Game

⏱ 45 min·Whole Class

Simulation Game: The Great Depression Game

Students start with 'jobs' and 'savings'. As the 'crash' happens, they must make difficult choices about spending and debt. This helps them understand the 'multiplier effect' of an economic downturn.

Prepare & details

Analyze the underlying causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and its global ripple effects.

Facilitation Tip: During the Great Depression Game, circulate and listen for students making connections between their 'investment choices' and the spread of economic collapse across countries.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 40 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Jarrow Crusade

Groups are given primary sources about the 1936 march from Jarrow to London. They must create a 'petition' and a series of placards that explain the marchers' demands to the government.

Prepare & details

Explain the social and economic consequences of mass unemployment in Britain during the 1930s.

Facilitation Tip: For the Jarrow Crusade investigation, assign small groups specific roles (e.g., historian, economist, local resident) to ensure all voices contribute to the analysis.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Gallery Walk

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: The Two Faces of the 20s

Stations feature the 'Flappers' and jazz clubs alongside the struggling coal mines and slums. Students must explain why the 1920s were 'roaring' for some but 'boring' (or worse) for others.

Prepare & details

Compare the responses of different governments to the economic crisis of the Great Depression.

Facilitation Tip: During the Gallery Walk, ask students to jot down one surprising fact from each image station to build their understanding of the decade’s complexities.

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Experienced teachers approach this topic by grounding discussions in local and personal narratives to counter abstract economic theories. Avoid overloading students with too many policies; focus on a few key examples (e.g., the Gold Standard, Jarrow March) to build depth. Research shows that using primary sources and role-play helps students empathize with historical figures and grasp the human impact of economic decisions.

What to Expect

By the end of these activities, students should be able to explain how the 1929 crash led to mass unemployment in Britain, connect regional suffering to global economic ties, and analyze how economic despair influenced political extremism. Success looks like students using historical evidence to support their arguments.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Great Depression Game, some students may assume the crisis only affected America.

What to Teach Instead

During the Great Depression Game, point students to the 'global trade web' map included in the simulation. Have them trace how a crash in New York leads to bank failures in London, reduced demand for British coal, and job losses in Jarrow.

Common Misconception

During the Gallery Walk activity, students may believe the 1920s were a time of carefree prosperity for everyone in Britain.

What to Teach Instead

During the Gallery Walk, direct students to the '1926 General Strike' station. Provide prompts asking them to compare images of striking workers with those of wealthy socialites, and discuss how these images challenge the myth of 1920s prosperity.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Great Depression Game, provide students with a map of Britain. Ask them to label three regions heavily impacted by unemployment and write one sentence for each explaining why that region suffered disproportionately. Then, ask them to identify one government policy enacted during the Depression and its intended effect.

Discussion Prompt

After the Jarrow Crusade investigation, pose the question: 'Was the Great Depression primarily an economic event or a social catastrophe?' Facilitate a class discussion where students use evidence from the lesson to support their arguments, referencing specific examples of economic policies and social impacts.

Quick Check

During the Gallery Walk, present students with a short primary source quote from a person experiencing unemployment in the 1930s. Ask them to identify the key vocabulary term that best describes the situation in the quote and explain their choice in one sentence.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to research and present on how another country (e.g., Germany, USA) experienced the Depression differently, then compare their findings to Britain’s experience.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for students struggling to articulate connections between global trade and regional unemployment during the Great Depression Game.
• Deeper exploration: Invite students to analyze political cartoons from the 1930s and discuss how they reflect public attitudes toward government responses to the crisis.

Key Vocabulary

Wall Street Crash	The dramatic collapse of stock prices on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929, triggering a global economic downturn.
Great Depression	A severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States and spreading globally.
Mass Unemployment	A situation where a large percentage of the workforce is jobless, leading to widespread poverty and social hardship.
Protectionism	An economic policy of protecting domestic industries by taxing imported goods, often implemented by countries during the Great Depression.
Austere Measures	Strict economic policies involving spending cuts and tax increases, often imposed by governments to reduce national debt during times of crisis.