Hard Times

Economic Depressions in America

Richard Striner

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
• Year: 2018
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781442253247
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Economic History
• Index: History

Hard Times presents a comprehensive account of economic depressions in America, from colonial times to the "great recession" that began in 2008. Written in crisp prose for a general audience, the book synthesizes a narrative account—presenting the known facts about how particular depressions started, the effects upon people in different walks of life, the policy debates about what (if anything) to do in order to ameliorate the situation, and how these depressions ended—with analytical commentary on the economic patterns underlying and transcending depressions and the debates among economists and policymakers in regard to their causes. While these economic downturns have created suffering and hardship, Striner also conveys how Americans have always endured and rebounded from hard times.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Hard Times from Colonial to Postrevolutionary America
• Chapter 2: Hard Times and the Financial Panics of 1819 and 1837
• Chapter 3: The Panics of 1873 and 1893—And Hard Times in Between
• Chapter 4: Depressions and Policy Disputes in America, Circa 1720–1928
• Chapter 5: The Onset of the Great Depression
• Chapter 6: The Early New Deal and the Depression
• Chapter 7: 1934—A Year of Fear and Rage in America
• Chapter 8: The Politics of Class Conflict During 1935 and 1936
• Chapter 9: Recovery and Recession, 1937–1939
• Chapter 10: The Great Depression and American Culture in the 1930s
• Chapter 11: How the Great Depression Ended
• Chapter 12: The Revolt Against Keynes
• Chapter 13: The Great Recession
• A Note on Sources
• About the Author