The Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s, was the most and prolonged economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialized world. Its causes are complex and multifaceted, reflecting a combination of and international conditions that conspired to economic stability and confidence. One of the primary causes was the over-speculation in the stock market, which had become disconnected from the real economy. Throughout the 1920s, the U.S. stock market rapid expansion, reaching its peak in August 1929, after a decade of roaring growth. This speculative bubble was partly fueled by the widespread use of margin buying, investors borrowed money to buy stocks, betting on continued increases in stock prices. However, when the market began to decline in late 1929, panic set in, leading to a catastrophic crash in October.