The UK was another key force in the global economy. The British economy was not as swiftly and violently crushed as Germany’s but Britain did suffer a notable decline in imports and exports during the great depression. Britain’s exports decreased even more than her imports and so this produced a deficit in her balance of payments.

However compared to other industrialized nations, the United Kingdom scraped through the great depression in relatively good health. However there were some areas of Britain that were severely affected by the great depression. These were mainly the large industrial towns and cities.

Residents of the northeast powerhouses were hit the worst. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne unemployment during the great depression rose to 70% due the collapse in ship building. Ship production fell 90% during the great depression in northern England.

In Scotland, the highly industrial area of Glasgow suffered dramatically and unemployment rose to 30%