The 1929 Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression
- Date: Sunday 25th October
- Time: 15:30 - 17:15
- Speaker: James Kilby
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a deep economic collapse. The world stands on the verge of a new depression. We must therefore look to the past to understand the present – and the future.
The Wall Street Crash was the spark for the Great Depression of the 1930s. This period provides a stark demonstration of the failure not only of the capitalist system, but also of the Keynesian New Deal – as admitted by even Keynes himself.
Facing mass unemployment and struggling to survive, workers began to fight back. Today, we are entering into a similarly stormy period of crisis, instability and rising class struggle.
However, every historical analogy has its definite limits. As James Kilby will explain, there is no precedent for the current capitalist crisis. We must learn the lessons of the 1930s and fight to put an end to capitalism once and for all.
Recommended reading: The Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression - The lessons for today
Recommended reading: A Marxist analysis of the Great Depression