Late in 1931, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that worldwide unemployment had reached 20-25 million. The ILO was also mindful that the consequences of unemployment were borne by dependents and concluded that the number of people directly affected by unemployment was therefore probably in the region of 50-60 million. The thesis revisits this old theme of the 'Hungry Thirties' but considers it in a new and different way. Most histories of unemployment during the Great Depression have been presented in national terms but this study examines unemployment from an international perspective by utilizing the League of Nations and ILO as sites through which to explore how debates about unemployment and how to respond to it were being internationalized. Utilizing the vast archives of the League of Nations and ILO, the thesis focuses on a series of interconnected themes - public works and economic policy, migration, housing, and nutrition - themes that the League and ILO identified as being the 'fallout' from unemployment. It builds on recent research of the League and ILO that has revealed more complex histories of these two international organizations and that has recognized that the 'technical' agencies were core functions that consumed significant resources of personnel and money. Crucially, this work not only continued during the 1930s but thrived even as the political atmosphere darkened; it is, therefore, a history that offers another side to the autarky and nationalism of the 1930s. The thesis also connects the technical agencies of the League of Nations to the ILO and, in contrast to the customary treatment of the interaction of these two organizations that emphasizes inter-agency tension, it identifies how the collaboration was an important step in the rediscovery of the fundamental connection between economy and society by linking economic policy to social and physical welfare.

This case study examines the Self-Help Cooperative Movement (SHCM). Largely ignored by social scientists for the past eighty years, the movement took place during the Great Depression and, while national in scope, it was concentrated in Los Angeles. This movement combined traditional protest tactics with pre-figurative politics; its goal was to provide full employment for all Americans through the proliferation of worker and consumer cooperatives. Despite a very promising start in 1931, the movement collapsed and disintegrated by 1940. This dissertation examines the reasons for the SHCM's early successes and later its failures. The SHCM's early successes were made possible through their alliances with Japanese farmers (who lived on the outskirts of Los Angeles) and people of color in general, Los Angeles businesses and conservative business leaders, and with sympathetic politicians and state agencies. These alliances were, in turn, made possible by the inherent ambiguity of the SHCM's politics, which incorporated both conservative practices (e.g., self-help) and socialist practices (e.g., workplace democracy). This unique mixture, what the Los Angeles Times called "voluntary communism", generated widespread support among hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers and among conservative, socialist, and liberal political actors. In 1933, the SHCM underwent a profound transformation when Upton Sinclair and the End Poverty in California movement assumed leadership of the cooperatives and the California Democratic Party, promising to place state support behind the cooperative movement and in the process both end unemployment and undermine capitalism. The gubernatorial campaign of 1934 became a referendum on the cooperatives. Over the course of the prolonged bitterly fought campaign the cooperatives became associated with communism, and their liberal and conservative allies responded by discontinuing their support. With the loss of this political and financial assistance the SHCM slowly faded away. While the movement failed to achieve its specific goals, its impact on California politics, along with other Utopian Socialist movements in Los Angeles during this period, was immense. By the 1940s both political parties in California were supporting liberal and socialist initiatives (e.g., universal health-care and mass university education).

This thesis is focused on the solution to economic crises in Czechoslovakia in 1930's projected by Josef Macek. The first part describes process and consequences of the crisis and its influence on Czechoslovakian economy. Concrete arrangements made by government and main attitudes to this problem will be mentioned also in this section.The second part will be devoted to the personality of Josef Macek and his economic theories. The last and largest part deals with proposals of Josef Macek which should help the Czechoslovakian economy in the period of recession and bring the economy back to expansion. Opinions of Josef Macek are taken and analyzed from prime sources of information -- his works, public performances and articles -- written during 1930's. The aim of this thesis is to introduce the opinions of Josef Macek as a opposite to arrangements made by the government.

The thesis analysis the primary causes of the Great Depression and Great Recession in the US. The author is looking for common signs of these crisis with special attention to monetary policy, which is considered as a crucial. The author aims to analyze economic and political measures that accompanied the crisis. The first part deals with the Fed policy including its origin, the roaring twenties, the stock Exchange crash, anti-crisis economical and political measures during the crisis and there is also written about the theoretical interpretation of the different schools of economics. The second part deals with causes of Great Recession, the government sponsored enterprises, the housing bubble or federal emergency programs. Further, it discussed the credit expansion and the Fed´s policy and in the end the author offers an comparison of both crisis and presents his own view on the issue.

Deflation, which has recently represented significant source of concern, is by many economists perceived to be an unfavorable phenomenon in the economy. The aim of this paper is to identify the possible link between deflation and economic downturn based on the comprehensive view. The emphasis is put on the analysis of historical episodes of deflation over the past two centuries in order to shed light on causes and impacts of deflation during the periods. The paper does not neglect the comparison of theoretical approaches. The results of the analysis, supported by empirical studies, imply that the relationship between deflation and recession is complex. Although the paper does not confirm the existence of a general link between deflation and recession, it reveals that recession often leads to deflation (especially in a low inflation environment), but deflation does not usually result in recession. In many cases deflation remains to be a symptom of economic problems, not their cause.

No description available.

Problem: How have the libraries in Indiapolis been affected by the economic disorder?1. What changes have been made in appropriations?2. What changes have been made in expeditures?How has enforced leisure affected the use of the libraries?4. What has been the reaction of the benefactors?

No description available.

No singular study in history has exclusively focused on Bonnie Parker. She is usually grouped with her companion Clyde Barrow or among other female outlaws of the Great Depression. The historiography of Bonnie remains largely inaccurate with portrayals of her either as ringleader of the Barrow Gang or the passive girlfriend aiding her criminal man. While the truth lies somewhere between these two statements, no effort has been made to fully understand Bonnie alone without Clyde. The American news media of the 1930's gave Bonnie a very different public life than the one she lived privately. The media created the legend of Bonnie Parker, and by the time the famous 1967 movie was produced, the fictionalized Bonnie resembled nothing of the real Bonnie. Thus, Bonnie Parker lived a dual life: a private one remembered by her family members, and a public one portrayed in newspapers, films, and writings.

The paper explores the human-environment relationship in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. It argues that every impact on humans by the environment or by human-made objects is initially triggered by human actions. The paper questions humans' and objects' agency. Furthermore, the essay argues that the environment either helps or impedes the novel's characters, which according to the book, can be solved by collaboration.