Final answer:
The Great Depression was caused by a combination of factors, including a decline in output, decrease in prices, a fall in net exports, and a stock market crash that affected consumer and business confidence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The causes of the Great Depression are complex and have been widely debated by historians and economists. However, several key factors have been suggested, including a decline in output, a decrease in prices, a fall in net exports, and a stock market crash that undermined consumer and business confidence. Specifically, a fall in net exports is part of the broader economic distress that the Great Depression caused on the global scale, diminishing worldwide gross domestic product (GDP) by 15 percent between 1929 and 1932. This decline in global trade and the resultant loan recalls by U.S. banks caused further crises in other countries. Strong bank regulations are not typically cited as a cause; in fact, the lack of regulation and excessive lending were more to blame.