Based on the data provided in the chart, we can draw some informed conclusions about Sweden's economy during the Great Depression.
Let's analyze the rate of decline in industrial production for each country:
- United States: 46.8%
- Great Britain: 16.2%
- Germany: 41.8%
- France: 31.3%
- Sweden: 10.3%
From these rates of decline, we can observe that Sweden had the lowest decline in industrial production at 10.3%, which is significantly lower than the decline rates of the other countries listed, including Great Britain.
Therefore:
1. The low rate of decline in Sweden's industrial production suggests that Sweden did not heavily depend on industrial production. This indicated that the impact of the Great Depression on Sweden's industrial sector was minimal compared to other countries.
2. The statement that "Sweden's economy was less stable than most" is not supported by the data since the minimal decline in industrial production suggests stability rather than instability.
3. While Sweden and Great Britain both had relatively smaller declines compared to other countries, Sweden's rate of decline (10.3%) was much lower than that of Great Britain (16.2%). Thus, we cannot conclude that Sweden and Great Britain had similar economies.
4. The data provided does not include information on unemployment rates, so we cannot draw any conclusion about Sweden's unemployment rate compared to that of the United States.
Given these observations, the most likely conclusion one can draw is:
Sweden did not depend on industrial production.
