The Day Capitalism Broke: The Wall Street Crash of 1929 & the Road to Hitler

On 29 October 1929, the world changed forever.As share prices collapsed, panic ripped through Wall Street, fortunes vanished in hours, and confidence in capitalism itself cracked. What began as a stock market crash in New York spiralled into the Great Depression, reshaped global politics, radicalised Europe – and helped pave the way for Hitler, Stalin, and the extremes of the 1930s.In this episode of Days That Changed the World, historians Antonia Senior and Roger Moorhouse take you inside the human drama of the Wall Street Crash:– exhausted traders sleeping on cots– terrified small investors crowding the streets– markets collapsing faster than the technology could record prices– and a world discovering, in real time, that those “in charge” didn’t really know what they were doingUsing Andrew Ross Sorkin’s 1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History, we explore not just what happened, but why it mattered — and why its consequences are still with us today.✔ What caused the Wall Street Crash of 1929✔ How debt, speculation and mass share ownership fuelled panic✔ Why technology made the crash worse✔ The myth — and reality — of suicides on Wall Street✔ How the crash destabilised Europe and radicalised German politics✔ Whether Hitler could have risen without 1929✔ Why capitalism entered an identity crisis — and extremism filled the vacuumThis isn’t just a financial story.It’s a story about fear, belief, human behaviour, and the fragility of systems we assume are permanent.1929: The Inside Story of the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – Andrew Ross SorkinWhen Money Dies – Adam FergussonThe Way We Live Now – Anthony TrollopeWall Street Crash 1929, Great Depression explained, stock market crash history, 1929 crash causes, rise of Hitler economics, Great Depression Europe, capitalism crisis, financial bubbles history, days that changed the world, history podcast, economic history, Nazi rise explained, 20th century history