What was the 1929–1932 collapse in U.S. stock prices commonly called?

The 1929–1932 collapse in U.S. stock prices is commonly called the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

The crash began after the U.S. stock market reached a major peak in September 1929 and then suffered severe losses in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued falling for years and reached its low in July 1932, far below its 1929 peak.

The event became closely associated with the Great Depression, but the two terms describe different things. The Wall Street Crash refers primarily to the collapse in stock prices, while the Great Depression describes the much broader worldwide economic downturn that followed.

Speculation, margin buying, weakening industrial activity, banking problems, and restrictive monetary conditions all formed part of the wider story. The crash was not caused by one single event, and it did not affect every country in exactly the same way.