Excerpt from Huey Long, “Share Our Wealth,” 1935
It is impossible for the United States to preserve itself as a republic or as a democracy when 600 families own more of this Nation’s wealth—in fact, twice as much—as all the balance of the people put together. Ninety-six percent of our people live below the poverty line, while 4 percent own 87 percent of the wealth. America can have enough for all to live in comfort and still permit millionaires to own more than they can ever spend and to have more than they can ever use; but America cannot allow the multimillionaires and the billionaires, a mere handful of them, to own everything unless we are willing to inflict starvation upon 125,000,000 people. . . .
. . . God’s law commanded that the wealth of the country should be redistributed ever so often, so that none should become too rich and none should become too poor; it commanded that debts should be canceled and released ever so often, so that the human race would not be loaded with a burden which it could never pay. . . .
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Which of the following causes of the Great Depression is Long referencing in his plan to “Share the Wealth”?
A.
the great concentration of wealth
B.
the persistence of racial segregation
C.
the overproduction in the agriculture sector
D.
the excessive speculation on the stock market