"Ben S. Bernanke has gathered together his essays on why the Great Depression was so devastating and lasted so long. These essays include some of the most recent research on the international character of the crisis. This broad view shows us that while the Great Depression was an unparalleled disaster on a truly universal scale, some economies pulled up faster than others, and some made an opportunity out of a disaster.

By comparing and contrasting the economic strategies and statistics of the world's nations as they struggled to survive economically, the fundamental lessons of macroeconomics stand out in bold relief against a background of immense human suffering. The essays in this volume present a uniquely coherent view of the economic causes and worldwide propagation of the depression."--BOOK JACKET.