Between the 1870s and the late 1930s, the share of the U.S. workforce employed in agriculture fell from approximately 50% to 20%. Despite this significant shift away from a sector known for its sensitivity to weather and commodity price shocks, this period still experienced severe economic fluctuations, culminating in the Great Depression. What is the most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts?

The reduction of the U.S. agricultural workforce from approximately 50% in the 1870s to 20% by the late 1930s was, on its own, sufficient to end the period of high economic volatility that characterized the era.

Agriculture's Role in Pre-WWII Economic Volatility

Evaluating the Agricultural Sector's Role in Pre-WWII Instability

Match each economic era or concept with its correct description regarding U.S. economic volatility.

Evaluating an Economic Argument

The fact that the U.S. economy experienced severe fluctuations, including the Great Depression, during a period when agricultural employment fell from 50% to 20% demonstrates that the decline of this one sector was ____ on its own to create broad economic stability.

Arrange the following descriptions of U.S. economic history in the correct chronological order to demonstrate the relationship between the agricultural sector's decline and overall economic volatility.

Critiquing a Historical Economic Argument

Historical data shows that between the late 1800s and the 1930s, the proportion of the U.S. labor force in farming decreased significantly. During this same period, the overall economy continued to experience extreme boom-and-bust cycles. Which of the following hypotheses is most directly challenged by this combination of facts?

The Great Moderation