The Great Depression is generally considered to have started in 1929 and ended around 1939, with full recovery in the United States often tied to the buildup for World War II by the early 1940s.

Quick Scoop: Exact Years

  • Most historians date the start to the stock market crash in October 1929, after several months of economic slowdown.
  • The end is less precise:
    • Globally, the downturn is often said to have lasted until about 1939.
* In the United States, many economists say the Depression effectively ended as wartime production ramped up around 1940–1941.

So in short: 1929 to about 1939 (or 1941 in the U.S.).

Why the Dates Are Fuzzy

  • The economy did not collapse or recover in a single moment; it worsened from a recession in mid‑1929 into a severe depression by late 1929–early 1933.
  • Different countries hit their worst point at different times, and some recovered earlier than others.

A common example: the U.S. saw its steepest decline between 1929 and early 1933, partial recovery in the mid‑1930s, then another recession in 1937–1938 before wartime spending ended mass unemployment.

Mini Timeline (U.S.-focused)

  • 1929 – Summer recession turns into a sharp downturn; Wall Street Crash in October (Black Thursday, Black Monday, Black Tuesday).
  • 1930–1932 – Bank failures, soaring unemployment, collapsing industrial production.
  • 1933 – Franklin D. Roosevelt takes office and launches the New Deal; economy begins a slow recovery but remains very weak.
  • Late 1930s – Conditions improve compared to 1933, but high unemployment persists and another recession hits in 1937–1938.
  • 1940–1941 – Massive defense and war production finally restore full employment in the U.S.

Information gathered from public historical sources and data available on the internet and portrayed here.