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The Great Depression: A History From Beginning to End

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Discover the remarkable history of The Great Depression in less than an hour... Free BONUS Inside! The Great Depression was one of the most trying eras in American history. All aspects of the United States were affected. After the stock market crash of 1929, the nation was thrust into a decade of turmoil and change—in government, the economy, and culture. Many of the changes brought about by the Great Depression remain today. Discover a plethora of topics such as Causes of the Great Depression The Depression and the Hoover Administration The Election of 1932 and the Rise of Franklin Roosevelt The Depression and American Culture Setbacks and Detractors Last Steps Toward Recovery—and War And much more!So if you want a quick and easy to read book on The Great Depression, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

50 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 4, 2018

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498 people want to read

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Hourly History

693 books856 followers
At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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5 stars
361 (43%)
4 stars
285 (34%)
3 stars
139 (16%)
2 stars
30 (3%)
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8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
Profile Image for Darya Silman.
450 reviews169 followers
June 30, 2021
Nice overview

It's a review of my second book by Hourly History.

I can't say anything specifically negative about the book, but neither I can say anything positive. The whole collection is a Wikipedia in a book cover. Rating every wikipedia article... would be rather meaningless. I like the series: readability, simple language, and sticking to the core are the main advantages. As always, I would like to read more (just don't have time).

Stable 4 out of 5.
102 reviews
June 28, 2019
I think that the book did a great job as far as explaining the causes of the Depression, some of the mistakes that were made in dealing with it, and explaining Roosevelt's New Deal and the steps that were taken to try to recover from the Depression.

One thing that I was a bit disappointed with was that the book almost entirely dealt with the Roosevelt presidency and the New Deal throughout the decade. I realize that there's only so much that you can fit into a one-hour read, but I was hoping to read more about the lives of the people of the country during the Depression. Things like the depth of poverty, the migration of people (as portrayed in The Grapes Of Wrath), the Dust Bowl, and the overall desperation of a large part of the country's population were only briefly touched upon.
Profile Image for Anil Swarup.
Author 3 books721 followers
August 26, 2018
"They are unanimous in their hate for me- and I welcome their hatred ". Franklin Roosevelt weathered the hatred but rode over the depression. The book brings forth the causes for the Great Depression and the manner in which this unprecedented crisis was managed. An interesting read.
Profile Image for Patsy.
614 reviews9 followers
February 11, 2019
America is faced with the worst Depression the United States of America has ever been through. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt was voted in as President in 1933, he had a Epic Depression Era to deal with. Franklin D. Roosevelt was President from 1933 to 1945.

In 1929 the Stock Market crashed, then in 1929 through 1930's Banks were closing up to 7,000 Banks closed. There were 25% to 30% of the people out of jobs. Farmers that provided food could no longer afford to run their farms.

Families were going hungry, men were leaving home to find work across the States. Mom's were having to work to provide food. Grandparents were caring for their grandchildren, grocery stores were giving credit to families with no interest just so people wouldn't starve. Then in 1936 Roosevelt had men working on roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and post offices. Also, Roosevelt provided jobs in state parks to improve camping area, shelters, picnic tables, etc. Franklin D. Roosevelt created these jobs to help America get back on their feet and to provide families with a pay check.

Then just as things were getting better, Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese. Now Americans were involved in World War II. This is a quick overview, I lived through the great depression I can remember it. I lived with my grandparents, we had a large garden and my grandmother canned what we didn't eat so we always had food.

If you have not read this book, please do so. The book goes into more detail and politics, you will learn about the New Deal Act and the Agriculture Act to spread funding to the nation's farmers. These books are so good, you learn so much from each one. I love each one I have read.
1,420 reviews1 follower
April 23, 2022
It's brief obviously but it offers a glimpse into 1930's US internal politics. If it piques your interest in a pivotal moment in history and encourages a deep dive into the varied threads of that society, it has served its purpose. The decades between 1920 and 1940 created the foundation of geopolitical, economic, social change for the the next 80 years and is well worth reading for a better understanding of our present.

There are a large number of history tubers with different approaches to that period and others. Ghost Time has several splendid series, including Between the Wars, World War Two, Spies and Ties, War against humanity, and others. Tom Nicholas examines the cultural changes globally including Post Modernism. Armchair Historian, Kings and Generals, The Great War, TIKHistory, Military History Visualized, BrandonF and Military Aviation History, are just a small sample of the sites discussing history from the Neolithic to the present.

The sites append reference material and encourage you to do further research of the topics that interest you. I wish you the best morning, a bright afternoon, an evening of fun and a wonderful night. Hope is not a four letter word, regardless what many say.
21 reviews
April 30, 2022
History & causes for the Great Depression

Loved it. It’s a great case for how to work together as a nation in tough times. The depression resulted in an administration that implemented many needed safeguards to protect the general public from unregulated capitalism. Expecting self regulation from business leaders is simply not realistic. The excesses of the business and financial world clearly caused the crisis. Same as the 2008 meltdown.

We need to educate the public on why a hand up is beneficial to all of us. Hard work needs to be rewarded & those that lose their livelihood through no fault of their own need support to get back on their feet. That’s not socialism. It’s rather sound fiscal policy since they return to paying taxes when they recover.

Sadly one of todays political parties seems hellbent on reversing or eliminating these vital social programs.
Profile Image for Terri's Dangerous When Reading.
897 reviews11 followers
May 27, 2019
I found this short history about the Great Depression very informative. I learned about the state of farming in the United States in the 1920's, the lack of oversight and caution with regards to the stock market, and how the United States foreign policy not only harmed the American economy, and how all these factors led to the depression becoming a global phenomenon. The great depression took an entire decade for the United States to recover from. After reading this book, I can definitely draw conclusions. It is a cautionary tale for what could happen again in the future. If we do not learn from our history we are doomed to repeat it.
2 reviews
March 21, 2025
Pretty condensed, and that's ok for a detached summary. I would have preferred more of a human perspective. I know from the accounts of my parents and grandparents how devastating the low wages were: my grandfather was lucky to get $1 a day and their family lived in a boxcar in a railroad camp.What also othered me is that he mentioned the MS St Louis not being accepted at ports, but was very vague, failing to acknowledge that these 900+ passengers were Jews fleeing for their lives as Hitler began the Holocaust. That seems to be an anti-Semitic and less-than-honest version of "history", deliberately omitting significant facts that were pertinent to the event.
Profile Image for Donna J.
159 reviews3 followers
May 8, 2018
Excellent short book about The Great Depression...

I am a history buff!! I was also born in England and moved to the states at 9 years old so these short books are not only an education about events we learned in grade school or high school, but it refreshes our brain in remembering them too!

I confess, I do remember taking a semester course about FDR which took forever to learn what I read in this great short book! It’s worth every penny or through Kindle Unlimited...Highly recommended for all and especially the younger ones who are still learning in school. 5 ⭐️
201 reviews
December 2, 2020
Explained the causes of the Great Depression and the policies of President Roosevelt that were implemented as a result. Really, more of a short history of FDR's presidency than insight about the Great Depression. I expected to read about how the average person was affected by the devastating poverty, life in a Hooverville, the Dust Bowl, etc. This book ought to have been titled "FDR: How He Handled the Great Depression." I would have known then that it was about presidential response to the Depression (and not read it, since that is not where my interest in that period lies).
Profile Image for Willow Rankin.
445 reviews3 followers
November 21, 2025
This is a really great overview of the Great Depression and the events leading up to it - and its overall impact on American Society as well as the greater implications in the rest of the world.
My issue is with the overall format of the hourly histories, whilst some are little more than glorified wikipedia articles - they do cover a specific event/period and some do it better than others. This is one of the better ones.
Overall, this brief introduction is good - but leaves me wanting more.
Profile Image for Denise .
241 reviews
April 30, 2018
Good book

This was a very clear, concise book about the Great Depression and the 1930's in America. My parents both lived during the 1930's. My mom always had plenty of non-perishable groceries on hand. She said often that if her family had lived elsewhere than on a farm during the depression they most likely would have gone hungry. I learned a lot about the laws enacted during the 30's to see that another depression did not happen.
6 reviews
July 21, 2018
A favorite period for me in American history. My dad's medical education at the university of Michigan was cut short by it. Mom and her mother tended a huge backyard vegetable garden. Grandpa foraged for firewood for the coming winter. His Dodge car rested on wooden blocks in the garage. The iron mine where he worked was closed so this was a poignant read for me. There was no social safety net.
Profile Image for Mary.
176 reviews27 followers
September 11, 2018
Although this is a relatively short book, it is full of interesting information about the Great Depression. This is not your typical dry history book. The author explains the causes of the Great Depression, along with the effects, and what was done to not only help people who had nothing but to make sure it didn’t happen again.
Profile Image for Ashwin.
93 reviews1 follower
January 20, 2020
Another good piece of writing by hourly history . The great depression and FDR.

It is unimaginable how America could go into a great depression. But remember it was early 20th century and it was still building it's economy. Remarkable how FDR administration turned it around with his New deal policies.
Profile Image for Walter.
46 reviews
August 10, 2021
A Brief History of the Great Depression

This is a very nice truncated history of the period surrounding the Depression in the United States and its affect on the rest of the world. Even though it is a brief 47 pages, it is recommended reading if you either know nothing or very little about the period.


WLM
SC
644 reviews
June 10, 2022
Bad times

I was born in 1940. Looking back to my “toddler” years I remember no suffering. I thank God for the life I’ve lived.
I was impacted by the Vietnam war. I’m now very disappointed at the conduct of my government for its role leading up to it and it’s causing such a significant era. I guess hind sight is always an enlightening perspective.
21 reviews
August 31, 2024
Out of Labor Pains

This was a challenging moment that delivered an economic foundation for generations. Leadership delivered though through pain and citizenry chose leaders well. Social integration needed a touch.
Political leaders can borrow heavily and all others can refine their civic duties.
This history is enriching and survival focused.
Profile Image for Keith Olsen.
5 reviews
May 14, 2018
Having lived through the Great Depression the book renewed many memories. The title, however, would be more descriptive if the word POLITICAL had been added at the beginning. As usual "Hourly History" is easy and enjoyable reading presenting information in a neutral, factual manner.
Profile Image for Chaplain Stanley Chapin.
1,978 reviews22 followers
June 21, 2018
A horrific account !

I was born at the start of the depression, grew up in the dirty thirties agricultural region, saw the effects that still effect my family and region are still evident today
Profile Image for Scott Worden.
Author 9 books8 followers
February 21, 2019
Short but excellent read!

This is a great little resource to get important facts of the Great Depression and to remember them! I learned a little more about Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover that I hadn’t known before as well.
152 reviews4 followers
May 30, 2019
I Learned so Much!

This was a fascinating and educational read. I learned so much about that time period in our country's history and the political issues of the time. Some things never change and yet some changes are still benefiting us today.
7 reviews
February 23, 2020
A good short review of The Great Depression

Although this little book is informative of politics and major events, it is difficult for me to conceive leaving out the impact on the people and the hardships they encountered.
51 reviews
May 8, 2020
Informative

As the son if parents who ‘grew up’ during the Great Depression this summary gave me a better understanding & appreciation if their lives; personalities; and decisions of my upbringing,
88 reviews
April 23, 2021
My father was born in 1929

I heard from him how things were as a child during that time. Hard for him to talk in detail about his experiences. I would not want to go through that ever.
Profile Image for Nihal.
198 reviews
June 7, 2021
The Great Depression was one of the worst economic failures of the United States. This book tells more about how FDR tried to stop the depression. It didn't tell anything about how the people felt through it. Still, I liked this one, and I learnt a lot.
2,142 reviews27 followers
December 12, 2022
Midway through description of depression author derails discourse into a diatribe against Roosevelt and never recovers it. If that was the main purpose the book is a fraud and so is the title, giving very little of actual plight of people.
****
4 reviews
August 25, 2024
A Quick Look at the Cause and Recovery of the Great Depression

Everyone should read this short book to get a better understanding of how and why the depression occurred and how FDR’s policies and eventually WWII helped the US recover from it.
Profile Image for Daryl.
339 reviews4 followers
July 28, 2025
A Quick Overview of Events

A fast read to gain an understanding of the events leading to the Great Depression and some of the things that Roosevelt tried In order to reduce its negative effects. Some were successful, and others were not, and some continue in effect to this day.
Profile Image for Marlyn.
6 reviews
April 30, 2018
My thoughts

Not bad for a quick history. Thought it leaned a little to the left. Did make me want to do some research on my own.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews

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