Updated May 20, 2013 The history of recessions in the United
States since the Great Depression show they are a natural,
though painful, part of the business cycle : On July 31, 2009
the Bureau of Economic Analysis BEA revised all GDP statistics
from 1929. It has revised the most recent three years each year
since then. The most recent stats (July 29, 2011) are given
below, with the original stats in parentheses. The worst
recession since the Depression . The economy shrank in five
quarters, including four quarters in a row. Two quarters shrank
more than 5%, and Q2 2008 shrank a whopping 8.9%, more than any
other recession since the Great Depression. The recession ended
in Q3 2009, when GDP turned positive, thanks to economic
stimulus spending . The recession was also the longest since the
Depression, lasting 18 months. - Q1 -1.8%(-.7%) - Q2 1.3% (1.5%)
- Q3 -3.7% (-2.7%) - Q4 -8.9% (-5.4%) - Q1 -6.7% (-6.4%) - Q2
-.7% (-.7%) The recession was caused by the Subprime Mortgage
Crisis, which then led to a global