what is a depression vs a recession 
you might view a depression as a recession that is extreme in its effects and its duration a recession is a relatively brief downturn in economic activity it is seen as an intrinsic stage of the economic cycle these are the generally accepted definitions of the two can a great depression happen again the united states dodged another great depression in 2008 2009 there s a good chance that it could do so again using some of the same costly but powerful fiscal and monetary measures that it deployed at that time these included huge loans to the banks and the auto industry tax cuts for the public increased government infrastructure spending and lower interest rates keep in mind too that the covid pandemic caused only a brief recession in 2020 that too was met with a targeted array of fiscal and monetary actions that might have prevented a far more severe downturn 