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Why was the crisis so devastating for Latin America and European colonies in Africa and Asia?

User Omribahumi
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Answer:The reduced foreign demand for Latin American goods caused gold and foreign exchange to flow out of Latin America faster than they came in. Thus, internal deflation added to the impact of the collapse of exports. The collapse of exports led to a great fall in employment. Unemployment statistics in the United States and Europe are impressively scary, but in Latin America and in European colonies in Africa and Asia, the Great Depression also had devastating effects. Europeans had been using many of their colonies to grow cash crops like rubber, sugar, and coffee. Cash crops aren’t for local consumption, and they’re not necessities.

West African rubber trees helped build the growing auto industries of Europe and North America. Pop quiz: What do people not buy when they’ve just lost their job and all their money? If you said “cars” you are correct! So British and French colonies in West Africa (and Southeast Asia) suddenly found themselves with a bunch of rubber that no one wanted to buy. They couldn’t use it, sell it, or eat it.

Explanation: Hope this helped

User Franky McCarthy
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