T. H. Watkins (1936–2000)

5622. The Hungry Years A Narrative History of the Great Depression in America, by T. H. Watkins (read 26 Apr 2019) This book was published in 1999, which should mean that the author would have some perspective on the events related, but I found the author often told of his source and it seemed clear that that named source was what he was telling and that he had made little effort to relate the events covering a broader outlook. . In other words, the author did not seem interested in telling of events with the benefit of the study that has been done over the years that had elapsed since the events occurred. Often the author's view coincided with mine but sometimes his judgment I thought flawed. Often his relation of the events--the rise of the CIO, the development of the TVA, e.g., --was of great interest. But i think an account which showed greater analysis of the study that must have been performed would have been more persuasive.… (mere)

There is no denying that the Depression that began in 1929 was a convulsive episode in the history of the USA. One President has been vilified for not being inventive enough to deal with it and another has been glorified; yet neither definition fits well. Watkins presents evidence that many in our nation dealt with the time 1929 to 1939 in a straight forward way while other Americans demanded the government do something. Unlike the recession (depression?) of 2008 to ?, the main thrust of FDR was to put people to work as a means to get them back on their feet. Some of the government programs were brilliant; others not so much -- but at least the thrust was to restore work. It is inconceivable that FDR would have tried to close down the coal industry as a means to get people back to work. Did World War II end the 1929 Depression or was it the avalanche of government programs? One thing is certain, from 1929 through 1939, the USA made an irreversible turn to a greater, more intrusive Federal Government.
One cannot, however, when discussing cause and effect ignore the plight of so many people which was downright miserable. I think Watkins does an excellent job describing what happened to us. One might even go so far as to ask, would the USA of the 1920's been able to deal with WWII as well as the USA of the 1930's subsequently did. We went to war in 1917 as the savior of democracy; we went to war in 1941 because we had to. One would never prescribe the period of 1929 through 1939 simply to toughen a people but it certainly had that effect.… (mere)