The Great Depression was the deepest and longest economic collapse in the history of the United States. No event has yet rivaled today's Great Depression, although we have had recessions and some economic panics and fears in the past. Fortunately, the United States of America has had its experiences since the founding of this country and many economic crises have occurred during its growth. In the United States, the Great Depression began soon after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors ("The Great Depression"). Following this single tragic event, numerous chain reactions occurred. Something that might come to everyone's mind today and the number one thing they look at after the presidential election and every new year is the stock. Stocks determine the health of the economy, the money people are willing to invest, take risks and win back or lose, but because of the crash, it discouraged people from investing in stocks and instead there was a huge amount of withdrawals that led to the economic crisis. collapse occurred. The US government began to fear that it would run out of gold because everyone started turning the two dollars they still had into gold, so the Federal Reserve decided to increase the value of the dollar. Banks began to fail and lose savings; people had to withdraw their remaining money, leaving banks with no choice but to close. In turn, everything in the present and future is judged through stocks as they hold high importance in industrialized economies, showing the health of the economy of said countries. As investment discourages consumer spending in general, decreases, this leads to... half the paper... and old age pensions, which wasn't there before and thanks to the Great Depression helps all Americans who have need financial relief while sometimes taking advantage of it. Social Security has probably kept America out of economic chaos (“What is Social Security”?). The Great Depression led to a better economic system and changed economic thinking. Laws were passed to prevent another depression from occurring. Although many years have passed since the Great Depression, the things seen then are still seen today in 2014. High unemployment rates and low income among families forced to need welfare help are seen today as they were seen during the period of the Great Depression. the Great Depression. The contrast between now and then, however, is that the economy is under greater scrutiny due to laws passed to prevent another depression.