Businesses that did well in the Great Depression

Businesses that did well in the Great Depression

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_businesses_thrived_during_the_Great_Depression

At the very height of the Great Depression (1930-33) hardly any businesses did really well, and success was relative.

As usual in such circumstances it was the 'new' industries that tended to do best, in particular:


•Movies. Almost every town of any size saw the opening of new and bigger cinemas. 'Talkies' added to the popularity of the cinema.

•Radio. In the 1930s radio became widely available to better paid workers.

•Mass produced automobiles. (Not really a new industry, but a 'young' industry).

•Electrical industries. During the 1930s most houses that weren't yet on mains electricity were connected. A huge range of companies did well as a result - ranging from the manufacturers of cables and light switches to those producing electric carpet sweepers and so on.

•At the luxury end of the market, air travel did well - but it was still generally expensive and only for the few.

•The very low interest rates encouraged house building, especially when it was clear that prices had stopped falling.

•In Europe, Germany and then Britain spent huge sum on rearmament from about 1934 onwards.