Question

In the 1920s, a reflection of the weakening economy was the growing gap between which groups?

1) farmers and laborers
2) the rich and the poor
3) stockbrokers and bankers
4) consumers and products

Answer 1

In the 1920s, the growing gap between the rich and the poor illustrated the weakening economy. Stagnant wages and unequal wealth distribution meant the consumer-driven economy was unsustainable, leading to the Great Depression.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the 1920s, a reflection of the weakening economy was the growing gap between the rich and the poor. A few of the factors leading to this widening inequality included stagnant wages, rising prices, and the overextension of credit. As the economy expanded, production increased rapidly, but wages did not keep pace, further exacerbating the economic divide.

With the richest 1 percent of Americans controlling over a third of the nation's wealth and 80 percent of American families having no savings, the middle class and poorer populations were unable to sustain the consumer-driven economy. Farmers, in particular, faced hard times due to overproduction and falling prices, leading to loans defaults and foreclosures. The unbalanced distribution of wealth became one of the underlying issues contributing to the eventual collapse of the stock market and the onset of the Great Depression.

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