Look at this chart showing declines in industrial production during the Great Depression.

\begin{tabular}{|c|c|}
\hline Country & Rate of Decline \\
\hline United States & [tex]$46.8 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline Great Britain & [tex]$16.2 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline Germany & [tex]$41.8 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline France & [tex]$31.3 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline Sweden & [tex]$10.3 \%$[/tex] \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Based on these figures, what can one most likely conclude about Sweden?

A. Sweden did not depend on industrial production.
B. Sweden's economy was less stable than most.
C. Sweden and Great Britain had similar economies.
D. Sweden had a lower unemployment rate than the United States.



Answer :

To analyze the economic conclusions based on the rate of decline in industrial production during the Great Depression, let's examine the statistics from the provided chart:

[tex]\[ \begin{tabular}{|c|c|} \hline Country & Rate of Decline (\%) \\ \hline United States & 46.8 \\ \hline Great Britain & 16.2 \\ \hline Germany & 41.8 \\ \hline France & 31.3 \\ \hline Sweden & 10.3 \\ \hline \end{tabular} \][/tex]

The specific values for the decline rates are as follows:
- United States: 46.8%
- Great Britain: 16.2%
- Germany: 41.8%
- France: 31.3%
- Sweden: 10.3%

Analyzing the rates:

1. United States and Germany experienced the highest declines in industrial production at 46.8% and 41.8%, respectively, indicating a significant economic downturn in these countries.

2. France had a moderate decline rate of 31.3%, also showing substantial effects of economic decline but not as severe as the United States or Germany.

3. Great Britain had a lower decline rate of 16.2%, indicating a more stable industrial production compared to the United States, Germany, and France during that period.

4. Sweden shows the lowest decline rate of all countries at 10.3%.

From this information, we can conclude the following about Sweden:

- Sweden had the lowest rate of decline in industrial production (10.3%) among the listed countries.

Given this fact, we can infer that Sweden’s lower decline rate suggests that its economy was not as heavily dependent on industrial production compared to the other countries listed, notably the United States, Germany, and France. This lower dependency likely helped buffer Sweden's economy against the severe impacts of the Great Depression that heavily industrialized nations experienced.

Given the answer choices:
1. Sweden did not depend on industrial production.
2. Sweden's economy was less stable than most.
3. Sweden and Great Britain had similar economies.
4. Sweden had a lower unemployment rate than the United States.

The most accurate conclusion, based on the lowest rate of decline in industrial production, is:

Sweden did not depend on industrial production.

This conclusion highlights that Sweden's economy was likely more diversified or reliant on other sectors, reducing its vulnerability during the industrial downturn seen in the Great Depression.