Why should students learn about the Great Depression?
One reason to study the Great Depression is that it was by far the worst economic catastrophe of the 20th century and, perhaps, the worst in american history.
A second reason to study the Great Depression is that the sheer magnitude of the economic collapse— and the fact that it involved every aspect of US economy and every region of the US—makes this event a great vehicle for teaching important economic concepts.
A third reason to learn about the Great Depression is that it dramatically changed the role of government, especially the federal government, in US economy.