The Great Depression

Producer Henry Hampton (Eyes on the Prize) latest series is an ambitious probe into another of America's most significant historical chapters, The Great Depression, the years between 1929-1941 when the country grappled with a devastating recession that would only end with FDR's New Deal package of social democracy programs and the economic impetus of industrial output necessitated by WWII. We watched the opener of the series a Job at Ford's, which traced the early years of Henry Ford's automotive empire. Although occasional social commentators, such as Gore Vidal, proffer insights into the social and economic events and trends marking the period, much of the interview footage is with men and women who were kids or young adults during the Great Depression. Their comments are not about market forces or the effects of international finance, but rather the personal hopes, dreams, and hardships of ordinary Americans living under extraordinary pressures (recall that these were the days before government safety nets). a good microcosm of that brutal drama was played out in Henry Ford's auto plants. After luring thousands of potential workers with the (then princely, if not kingly) sum of $5 a day in 1927, Ford continued to streamline operations (i.e. force people to work faster and longer), while he kept busy amassing wealth and writing inflammatory anti-Semitic articles for the Dearborn Independent (Adolf Hitler was a big fan of Ford's writings). After the stock market crash in 1929, Ford was forced to cut back and close factories, resulting in protests and even factory riots. In 1931, Ford stopped making cars altogether. Meanwhile Hoover, echoing Henry IV, spoke of a chicken in every pot, but as one interviewee recalls, people kept wondering "where in the hell was that chicken?" In fact, the concurrent rise of the Communist party in America and the increasing interest in socialism during the period owed less to ideology than simple desperation: food for the mind usually takes a back seat to food for the body, and--as we're currently seeing elsewhere in the world--when capitalist ideals fail to feed the hungry, people are ready to entertain other options. At its best, The Great Depression presents this kind of meaty analysis concerning the social aspects of the economic collapse. Combining a heartbreaking collage of pictures from the era, newsreel footage, period music, and a strong central story, The Great Depression is highly recommended for larger public library, school, and university collections. The other titles in the series are: The Road to Rock Bottom, New Deal/New York, We Have a Plan, Mean Things Happening, To Be Somebody, and Arsenal of Democracy. (R. Pitman)