This chapter underlined the similarities of the social and political impacts of the Great DepressionGreat Depression and the Great RecessionGreat Recession on American society. Both the Great DepressionGreat Depression and the Great RecessionGreat Recession were crises that, according to numerous reports and analyses, could have been anticipated and potentially prevented with better regulatory oversight, attention to economic warning signs, and more proactive government policies. In both instances, the lack of regulatory oversight allowed risky financial practices to proliferate unchecked. Extreme disparities in income and wealth distribution led to unstable economic environments in both periods. Additionally, both crises revealed the vulnerabilities in the financial systems. In terms of its social impacts, both crises led to increased xenophobiaXenophobia and scapegoating of minorities. Rising unemployment during the Great DepressionGreat Depression intensified antisemiticAntisemitism/Antisemitic sentiments and anti-immigrant views, as people sought to blame these groups for economic hardships. Similarly, the Great RecessionGreat Recession saw increased anti-immigrant sentiments and scapegoating of minorities, with economic anxiety contributing to the rise of xenophobic rhetoric and policies targeting immigrant communities. Public trust in the government eroded in both periods due to perceived inaction and ineffective policies. The public understood that the crises were preventable and felt that the government prioritized saving wealthy individuals and corporations over the general populace. The economic hardships of both crises led to the rise of radical political movements. During the Great DepressionGreat Depression, far-left and far-right groups gained support by promising solutions to economic woes and critiquing the existing political order. In the Great RecessionGreat Recession, the Tea Party movementTea Party movement advocated for reduced government spending and taxation, criticizing bailout policies as unfair and misdirected, while the Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street (OWS) movement emerged to protest economic inequality and the perceived influence of corporations on government.