The Great Depression : an international disaster of perverse economic policies / Thomas E. Hall and J. David Ferguson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hall, Thomas E. (Thomas Emerson), 1954-

Contributor:

Ferguson, J. David, 1940-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Depressions--1929--United States.

Depressions.

Depressions--1929--Europe.

International economic relations.

Europe--Economic conditions--1918-1945.

Europe.

United States--Economic conditions--1918-1945.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 194 p. :) ill.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c1998.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

The Great Depression was the worst economic catastrophe in modern history. Not only did it cause massive worldwide unemployment, but it also led to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany, World War II in Europe, and the tragic deaths of tens of millions of people. This book describes the sequence of policy errors committed by powerful, well-meaning people in several countries, which, in combination with the gold standard in place at the time, caused the disaster. In addition, it details attempts to reduce unemployment in the United States by Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, and in Germany by Hitler's National Socialist economic policies. A comprehensive economic and historical explanation of the events pertaining to the Depression, this book begins by describing the economic setting in the major industrialized countries during the 1920s and the gold standard that linked theory economies together. It then discusses the triggering event that started the economic decline--the Federal Reserve's credit tightening in reaction to perceived overspeculation in the U.S. stock market. The policy bungling that transformed the recession into the Great Depression is detailed: Smoot Hawley, the Federal Reserve's disastrous adherence to the real bills doctrine, and Hoover's 1932 tax hike. This is followed by a detailed description of the New Deal's shortcomings in trying to end the Depression, along with a discussion of the National Socialist economic programs in Germany. Finally, the factors that ended the Depression are examined. This book will appeal to economists, historians, and those interested in business conditions who would like to know more about the causes and consequences of the Great Depression. It will be particularly useful as a supplementary text in economic history courses.

Contents:

The Great Depression: an international disaster of perverse economic policies

Contents

Preface

Great Depression Timeline

Chapter 1: What Happened?

Chapter 2: Payback Time?

Chapter 3: The Gold Standard

Chapter 4: International Considerations

Chapter 5: The Start of the Great Depression, 1929-30

Chapter 6: Sowing the Seeds of Disaster

Chapter 7: 1931: The Make-or-Break Year

Chapter 8: More Bank Failures, 1932-33

Chapter 9: Economic Recovery: The Early Years of the New Deal

Chapter 10: Germany: Recovery, but at a Very High Cost

Chapter 11: The Second New Deal and the 1937-38 Recession

Chapter 12: It's Finally Over

Chapter 13: A Summing Up; and Could It Happen Again?

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (pages 181-188) and index.

Description based on information from the publisher.

ISBN:

9786612437694

OCLC:

1233025244