What do you think?
Rate this book
The Great Crash: How the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Plunged the World into Depression
The story of the financial cataclysm that started with the Wall Street stock market crash of 1929 is told here, tracing how it set in motion a series of economic, political, and social events that affected many millions of people in America, Britain, Europe, and Australia. The Crash rolled across the world like a tidal wave, toppling governments, spreading the wave of dictatorships in Italy and Germany, infecting entire industries, and plunging millions into unemployment and poverty. By the time it began to lift in 1935, the lives of people in scores of countries had changed forever. Selwyn Parker’s book also poses the question Could it happen again?
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2008
31 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 7, 2022
1929 büyük bunalımını, öncesi ve sonrasıyla, dünyadaki büyük ekonomilere etkileriyle ve insan hikayeleriyle anlatan kapsamlı bir çalışma. Örneğin, kara perşembe diye kayıtlara geçen büyük borsa çöküşünün yaşandığı 24 Ekim 1929 perşembe günü Winston Churchill'in Wall Street'teki borsa binasında olduğunu ve bütün o kargaşaya tanık olduğunu bilmiyordum. Siyasetçilerin işçiyi kurtarmak yerine sermayeyi kurtarmaya çalıştığı, krizi daha da derinleştiren politikaları ve Keynes'in ortaya çıkışını, kamu harcamalarıyla ekonomiyi nasıl kurtardığını okuyoruz. Özellikle Japonya ve Nazi Almanyası Keynesyen politikaları ilk uygulayan ülkeler olmuş. Ve tam işler düzelirken WWII başlıyor. Tarihin önemli dönemeçlerinden birinde neler olduğunu okumak isteyenler kaçırmasın.
April 8, 2018
This is a quite clear story of the Great Depression in 1929, quite easy to understand what happened. However, there are not many technical details for the possible reasons of the crash and it is more like a story of the global depression in not much economic details (telling it is the stock market crash but not explaining why it crashed, what was the reason behind etc.), although there are many details of the politicians and economists as well as their policies stated and how they reacted to fix the markets all around the world.
It has a wide range of stories, not only from USA and England, but also from Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Australia as well as France and even China. He also links these economic problems to the increasing popularity of fascism in Europe in 30s, which was interesting to me.
Totally recommended for those who want to understand what happened in 1929 in general perspective and how it was fixed.
It has a wide range of stories, not only from USA and England, but also from Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Australia as well as France and even China. He also links these economic problems to the increasing popularity of fascism in Europe in 30s, which was interesting to me.
Totally recommended for those who want to understand what happened in 1929 in general perspective and how it was fixed.
November 16, 2023
Book gives a whole hell of perspectives about the Great Depression that my IGCSE History Syllabus never really delved into haha.
Its contextual stories and biographies make it a joy to read, and while I was expecting more economic related stuff in here it was still helpful in understanding in why the Depression happened. Only large drawback I have on this is that it didn’t really delve deep into how the New Deal really helped in American recovery, nor did it really delve on how both the First and Second New Deals affected the economy (unemployment rates only deeply fell during WW2).
A good read for those who want to understand the Depression without going through a textbook, though I do recommend getting another book to delve deeper into the specific economics of the Depression; only after reading this though because it is good!
Its contextual stories and biographies make it a joy to read, and while I was expecting more economic related stuff in here it was still helpful in understanding in why the Depression happened. Only large drawback I have on this is that it didn’t really delve deep into how the New Deal really helped in American recovery, nor did it really delve on how both the First and Second New Deals affected the economy (unemployment rates only deeply fell during WW2).
A good read for those who want to understand the Depression without going through a textbook, though I do recommend getting another book to delve deeper into the specific economics of the Depression; only after reading this though because it is good!
July 16, 2020
History
Great history book and some very interesting facts that are important to know if you are thinking of dipping your toe in the market
Great history book and some very interesting facts that are important to know if you are thinking of dipping your toe in the market
July 30, 2024
Purposeful and informative read. A dry read if you don't have prior knowledge of the mechanisms that drive an economy.
The book instantly goes to the title: The Great Crash of 1929. It was as a result of the London Stock Exchange's crash in September, followed by the U.S.'s 'Black Thursday and Tuesday', where traders traded 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. The author goes through the days leading up to these disastrous events day by day, introducing characters and the delusions that they had about the economy.
The breadth of the book then expands, explaining the tidal waves caused by the crash in New Zealand, Britain, Austria, and Australia. In Germany, this event, the author argues, made the atmosphere much more favorable for the thriving of extreme ideologies. Though the author leaps from country to country often that it becomes hard to keep up with what is happening.
The book then ends with the advent of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and how America and others were saved from perpetual recession by a solution that was both ingenious and counterintuitive, whose proponents include giants such as John Maynard Keynes.
The book instantly goes to the title: The Great Crash of 1929. It was as a result of the London Stock Exchange's crash in September, followed by the U.S.'s 'Black Thursday and Tuesday', where traders traded 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. The author goes through the days leading up to these disastrous events day by day, introducing characters and the delusions that they had about the economy.
The breadth of the book then expands, explaining the tidal waves caused by the crash in New Zealand, Britain, Austria, and Australia. In Germany, this event, the author argues, made the atmosphere much more favorable for the thriving of extreme ideologies. Though the author leaps from country to country often that it becomes hard to keep up with what is happening.
The book then ends with the advent of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, and how America and others were saved from perpetual recession by a solution that was both ingenious and counterintuitive, whose proponents include giants such as John Maynard Keynes.
June 17, 2009
This book has proven to be worrisonly prescient.
May 3, 2016
A bit dry in places. The economics are mentioned but never delved into or explained. The most interesting part was the effects the depression had on germany and the rise of fascism.
June 14, 2020
People as gains of sand pushed left and right by the winds generated by some evil wizard. A failed novelist trying his hand at something equally imaginary, but anchored into some real facts.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews