The Great Depression

This book presents a study drawing on speeches, state papers, diaries, political manifestos, newspapers and poetry which aims to recreate the characters, events and ideas of the turbulent years between 1929 and the mid-1930s, known as the "Great Depression". It traces the events of the Wall Street crash in 1929 and the financial crisis which followed, the deterioration of living conditions and mass unemployment. The author shows how extremist politics, notably Communism and Fascism, thrived on these conditions and even in states where extremists were denied political power, as in Britain and France, grave political crises ensued. He illustrates the differing responses to the crises from the dictatorships of Germany and Italy and from the democracies of Britain, the USA and France and finds a similarity between remedies such as Mussolini's Corporate State and Roosevelt's New Deal. Also discussed is the evolution of economic ideas pioneered by Keynes. With a glossary, a bibliography and an index and this book may be useful for GCSE studies and Standard Grade in Scotland.