jjares reviewed The Great Depression: A Captivating Guide to the Worldwide Economic Depression that Began in the United States, Including the Wall Street Crash, FDR's New deal, Hitler?s Rise and More on + 3255 more book reviews
The explanation of how the Great Depression came about, I thought was excellent. I also liked the explanation of why Herbert Hoover seemed to be sitting on his hands (while the depression grew worse). Hoover had risen from his modest beginnings by his own hard work and thought that that philosophy would turn the tide. However, the Great Depression was something America had never seen before and people wanted action. Thus, they voted Franklin D Roosevelt into the presidency.
I also liked the comparison this book made of the three economic systems vying for supremacy at that time: fascism, communism, and capitalism. Before this explanation, I had a fairly basic understanding of fascism. The chapter on these three systems drew the ideologies in sharp relief.
I really enjoyed the chapters on "The Culture of the Depression," the chapter on sports during the Depression, and the "outlaw celebrities" of the Depression. However, I thought the discussion of Franklin D Roosevelt's efforts at 'solving the Depression problem' was written with rose-colored glasses on the eyes of the author. I also wondered why the author didn't just tell the reader who Huey Long was, and what he stood for, without naming him a 'demagogue' (p. 29). Father Charles Coughlin was also a critic of FDR, but you allowed his words to hang him without labeling him.
Chapters in this Book:
Causes of the Great Depression 1918-1929
Herbert Hoover and the Early Years of the Depression
The Election of 1932
The 100 Days and FDR's First Term, 1933-1937
FDR's Second TermâChallenges and Critics
The Culture of the Depression
Sports and the Great Depression
The Outlaw Celebrity in the Great Depression
Population Shifts and the Culture of the Great Depression
International Issues and Concerns During the Depression
The Coming Storm and the End of the Depression
I also liked the comparison this book made of the three economic systems vying for supremacy at that time: fascism, communism, and capitalism. Before this explanation, I had a fairly basic understanding of fascism. The chapter on these three systems drew the ideologies in sharp relief.
I really enjoyed the chapters on "The Culture of the Depression," the chapter on sports during the Depression, and the "outlaw celebrities" of the Depression. However, I thought the discussion of Franklin D Roosevelt's efforts at 'solving the Depression problem' was written with rose-colored glasses on the eyes of the author. I also wondered why the author didn't just tell the reader who Huey Long was, and what he stood for, without naming him a 'demagogue' (p. 29). Father Charles Coughlin was also a critic of FDR, but you allowed his words to hang him without labeling him.
Chapters in this Book:
Causes of the Great Depression 1918-1929
Herbert Hoover and the Early Years of the Depression
The Election of 1932
The 100 Days and FDR's First Term, 1933-1937
FDR's Second TermâChallenges and Critics
The Culture of the Depression
Sports and the Great Depression
The Outlaw Celebrity in the Great Depression
Population Shifts and the Culture of the Great Depression
International Issues and Concerns During the Depression
The Coming Storm and the End of the Depression
