From the more recent literature on progressivism and after, the 1920s, the crash, and the depression itself, millsaps college historian mcelvaine, editor of down and out in the great depression, has fashioned an account of the period pegged to the idea that, in the 1930s, the values of compassion, sharing, and justice became the most dominant that they have ever been in american history. On the results of hoovers policies and roosevelts 1932 campaign. During the first years of the great depression, floridas government did little to help people. In the twentyfive years since its publication, critics and scholars have praised historian robert mcelvaines sweeping and authoritative history of the great depression as one of the best and most readable studies of the era. In the twentyfive years since its publication, critics and scholars have praised historian robert mcelvaine s sweeping and authoritative history of the great depression as one of the best and most readable studies of the era.
Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. See all 10 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. What is the best book to read up on the 1929 great depression. Oct 27, 2010 one of the classic studies of the great depression, featuring a new introduction by the author with insights into the economic crises of 1929 and today. Commonlit an overview of the great depression free. Its emphasis is on people and politics, with portraits of hoover and roosevelt and descriptions of events and conflicts in and around elections, parties and factions, congress, workers organisations, relief programs, and so forth. Depression, war, and cold war is the product of a decade or more of research into some of the most vexing issues of the last century and. Thousands of us rode boxcars from place to place in hopes of earning a few pennies. Great depression university of california, berkeley. This book takes you through the life of several people during the great depression.
He is considered one of the worlds leading historians of the great depression. The coverage of the great depression by robert mcelvaine was so one sided it was unbelievable. The great depression american experience official site. Mcelvaine covers many topics of american history during the great depression through 1941. Add to bookbag sell this book add to wish list set price alert. Studs terkel mcelvaine is thorough as well as entertaining. Having just read the forgotten man by amity shlaes, and the great depression by robert mcelvaine, backtoback, i have the opportunity to compare how both authors treat this complex topic. Mcelvaine is a professor of history at millsaps college. A qualitative research design utilizing a narrative inquiry approach was used to. America 19291941 kindle edition by mcelvaine, robert s download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Create a summary be sure to focus on how you can use each document within your essays. His most recent book is a 25th anniversary edition of the great depression. From 1929 to 1939, america experienced the great depression. Sifting through some 15,000 letters from government and private sources, robert mcelvaine has culled nearly 200 communications that best.
In florida, there were over 90,000 families affected by the depression. For more information on the great depression, visit the following web sites. The grapes of wrath is a masterpiece of american literature and portrays the hopelessness of the great depression. Rothbard first summarizes the austrian theory and offers a criticism of competing theories, including the views of keynes. These mostly single men drifted from town to town and statetostate, performing whatever odd jobs they could trade for food and a few coins. In the twentyfive years since its publication, critics and scholars have praised historian robert mcelvaines sweeping and authoritative history of the great depression as one of the best and. Mcelvaine s reections on the great depression recreate one of the most dramatic and traumatic times in the history of our country. With our sense of the past imperiled, this is essential reading. From the prosperity and rampant consumerism of the 1920s, the book moves forward to cover the double shock of the stock market crash and dust bowl and then on to the recovery efforts of roosevelts new deal. Mcelvaine university of north carolina press chapel hill wikipedia citation please see wikipedias template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. But the federal government gave help by providing floridians with financial aid called relief.
Still, like the stock market crash, protectionist trade policies alone did not cause the great depression. This shifts our attention away from the chain of events leading to the market crash in 1929, and to the larger weaknesses in the interwar economy which not only brought on. Robert s mcelvaine my experience with this book was very eye opening. The great depression brought about fundamental changes in economic institutions, macroeconomic policy, and economic theory. Pdf the great depression of the 1930s researchgate.
What struck me is that shlaes approach seems to be topdown while mcelvaine s approach is bottomup. Mcelvaines reections on the great depression recreate one of the most dramatic and traumatic times in the history of our country. The book, the great depression is a scalding indictment of the political leaders of the time, the police, the law and of big business. Life during the great depression hobos riding the rails hundreds of thousands who could not support themselves locally took to the road to find work.
Im always amused when an author uses the example of wwii and full employment getting us out of the great depression. Read the great depression pdf america 19291941 by robert s. America 19291941 kindle edition by mcelvaine, robert s. Review of the great depression america 19291941 by robert s. It really depends on you, but i will give several books and suggest which to read depending on your personal preferences. Search by multiple isbn, single isbn, title, author, etc. Sometimes, it is also referred to as the great crash. This paper looks at the factors that caused the depression and examines the impact they had on three major economies of europe, those of britain, france and germany. Mcelvaine is elizabeth chisholm professor of arts and letters and chair of the department of history at millsaps college in jackson, mississippi. The topic that i have selected to compare to the text of american, past and present, written by. The great depression reversed this trend in america dramatically, and for me, that is perhaps the most riveting feature of mcelvaines book as he writes, the most significant fact about the depression era may well be that it was the only time in the twentieth century during which there was a major break in the modern trends towards. Causes of the great depression perhaps the best way to understand what caused the great depression is to rephrase the question.
Wikipedia citation please see wikipedias template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. America, 19291941 isbn 9780812923278 is a 1984 history of the great depression by acclaimed historian robert s. Other experts offer different explanations for the great depression. Down and out in the great depression is a moving, revealing collection of letters by the forgotten men, women, and children who suffered through one of the greatest periods of hardship in american history. Rothbards americas great depression is a staple of modern economic literature and.
The topic that i have selected to compare to the text of american, past and present. Mcelvaines account of the great depression in the united states is a straightforward narrative, largely chronological. Click on below buttons to start download the great depression. Abstract the purpose of this study is to identify the strategies and skills parents utilized to provide for their familys basic survival needs, and the beliefs and values they embraced during the great depression to provide for the physical and emotional needs of their families in the midst of economic hardship. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the great depression. Mcelvaine times books one of the classic studies of the great.
One of the classic studies of the great depression, featuring a new introduction by the author with insights into the economic crises of 1929 and today. The depression and new deal is a collection of primary sources documenting american life during the longest and deepest economic collapse in american history. There were no jobs to be had even the farmers werent hiring. It is commonly recognized by historians today that the great depression set the stage and was one of the major causes of world war ii. Mcelvaine september 2, 2004 the great depression america 19291941 by robert s. The great depression is a book written by canadian author pierre berton the period of time between the stock market crash of 1929 and the outbreak of world war ii in 1939 had a terrible impact on the lives of all canadians. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the great depression. Mcelvaine, author of the great depression, america 19291941, provides us with the kind of tapestry to which faulkner was alluding as mcelvaine analyzes the first momentous collapse that the united states ever experienced. Lawrence reed, great myths of the great depression, p. The book showed many perspective, including the person who barely suffered or were barely affected to the people that were the most affected by this time period. In the twentyfive years since its publication, critics and scholars have praised historian robert mcelvaines sweeping and authoritative history of the great depression as one of the best. What struck me is that shlaes approach seems to be topdown while mcelvaines approach is bottomup. The great depression of the 1930s is the deepest crisis faced by contemporary economies.
From the prosperity and rampant consumerism of the 1920s, the book moves forward to cover the double shock of the stock market crash and dust bowl and then on to the recovery efforts of roosevelt s new deal. In this informational text, jessica mcbirney explores the causes and effects of the great depression, as well as how americas economy began to recover. The great depression was a worldwide phenomenon, and the collapse of international trade was even greater than the collapse of world output of goods and services. Mcelvaine the great depression america 19291941 by robert s. Mcelvaine born january 24, 1947 is elizabeth chisholm professor of arts and letters and chair of the department of history at millsaps college in jackson, mississippi, where he has taught for thirtyfive years. He is the author of seven books and the editor of three. The recovery from the great depression was spurred largely by the abandonment of the gold standard and the ensuing monetary expansion. He is the author of ten books and served as historical consultant for the pbs series the great depression. Sifting through some 15,000 letters from government and private sources, robert mcelvaine has culled nearly 200 communications that best show the problems, thoughts, and emotions of ordinary. Louis bureau for men summarizes 12 years of of statistical information on men and boys who filed for relief and indicated that they had no family during the great depression. The great depression by robert s mcelvaine free essays.
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