Question

which of the following was not one of the reasons the great depression occurred?
the stock market crashed in october of 1929
farmers struggled during the 1920s, due to several factors, causing many of them to lose their farms
the smoot-hawley tariff act slowed down international trade
the us government increased taxes on wages and land ownership
everyone had easy access to credit, causing many americans to be in too much debt

Explanation:

• The 1929 stock market crash is widely recognized as a triggering event of the Great Depression, wiping out wealth and reducing consumer/investor confidence.
• 1920s farm crises (overproduction, falling prices, drought) weakened rural economies, contributing to broader financial instability.
• The Smoot-Hawley Tariff (1930) raised import taxes, prompting foreign retaliation and collapsing international trade, worsening the global economic downturn.
• Easy access to consumer credit in the 1920s led to high household debt; when incomes dropped, defaults further strained the financial system.
• In contrast, the US government did not raise taxes on wages/land ownership in the lead-up to the Great Depression. Early Depression policies initially focused on other measures, and tax increases of this type were not a causal factor in the crisis' onset.

Answer:

the US government increased taxes on wages and land ownership