The American Economy 1865 to the Present

Overview

The years between the two world wars were marked by the extravagent display of wealth and freedom during the "roaring 20s," but ending abrubtly with the 1929 stockmarket crash and the beginning of the "Great Depression." It took Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his "New Deal" policy to stimulate the economy, only to be forced once again to mobilize the country in preparation for World War II.

The Great Depression

Employment agency, Sixth Avenue, New York, New York,
December 1937.
Arthur Rothstein
(Library of Congress)