Historical Dictionary of the Great Depression, 1929-1940 - by James Stuart Olson (Hardcover)

About the Book

Today when most Americans think of the Great Depression, they imagine desperate hoboes riding the rails in search of work, unemployed men selling pencils to indifferent crowds, bootleggers hustling illegal booze to secrecy-shrouded speakeasies, FDR smiling, or Judy Garland skipping along the yellow brick road. Hard times have become an abstraction. But there was a time when economic suffering was real, when hunger stalked the land, and Americans tried to forget their troubles in movie theaters or in front of a radio.

From the stock market crash of October 1929 to Germany's invasion of Norway, France, and the Low Countries in 1940, the Great Depression blanketed the world economy. Its impact was particularly deep and direct in the United States. This was the era when the federal government became a major player in the national economy and Americans bestowed the responsibility for maintaining full employment and stable prices on Congress and the White House, making the Depression years a major watershed in U.S. history. In more than 500 essays, this book provides a ready reference to those hard times, covering the diplomacy, popular culture, intellectual life, economic problems, public policy issues, and prominent individuals of the era.

Book Synopsis

Today when most Americans think of the Great Depression, they imagine desperate hoboes riding the rails in search of work, unemployed men selling pencils to indifferent crowds, bootleggers hustling illegal booze to secrecy-shrouded speakeasies, FDR smiling, or Judy Garland skipping along the yellow brick road. Hard times have become an abstraction. But there was a time when economic suffering was real, when hunger stalked the land, and Americans tried to forget their troubles in movie theaters or in front of a radio.

From the stock market crash of October 1929 to Germany's invasion of Norway, France, and the Low Countries in 1940, the Great Depression blanketed the world economy. Its impact was particularly deep and direct in the United States. This was the era when the federal government became a major player in the national economy and Americans bestowed the responsibility for maintaining full employment and stable prices on Congress and the White House, making the Depression years a major watershed in U.S. history. In more than 500 essays, this book provides a ready reference to those hard times, covering the diplomacy, popular culture, intellectual life, economic problems, public policy issues, and prominent individuals of the era.

Review Quotes

.,."should be a useful tool in all types of academic libraries, from high school up....[O]lson has produced a volume on the parallels the ones he has produced for other decades and in so doing has provided references of more value to teachers of general units on the period than to teachers on economic history....[a] welcome addition to Olson's growing reference shelf."-The Journal of Economic History

?...should be a useful tool in all types of academic libraries, from high school up....[O]lson has produced a volume on the parallels the ones he has produced for other decades and in so doing has provided references of more value to teachers of general units on the period than to teachers on economic history....[a] welcome addition to Olson's growing reference shelf.?-The Journal of Economic History

?Coverage is rich and varied....The Historical Dictionary of the Great Depression 1929-1940 can be relied on for both quick facts and as a source that provides an overview of the topic. Depending on need, this title could find its way on to either reference or circulating shelves.?-Against the Grain

..."should be a useful tool in all types of academic libraries, from high school up....ÝO¨lson has produced a volume on the parallels the ones he has produced for other decades and in so doing has provided references of more value to teachers of general units on the period than to teachers on economic history....Ýa¨ welcome addition to Olson's growing reference shelf."-The Journal of Economic History

"Coverage is rich and varied....The Historical Dictionary of the Great Depression 1929-1940 can be relied on for both quick facts and as a source that provides an overview of the topic. Depending on need, this title could find its way on to either reference or circulating shelves."-Against the Grain

About the Author

JAMES S. OLSON is Professor of History and Department Chair at Sam Houston State University. He is the author of more than forty books, including Historical Dictionary of the 1970s (Greenwood, 1999), Historical Dictionary of the 1960s (Greenwood, 1999), and Historical Dictionary of the 1950s (Greenwood, 2000).