Summary: Chapter 11
Page 1: Despair Turns to Celebration
The Great Depression spreads a pall over the globe, as the wild exuberance of the 1920s leads to economic hangover, a market crash, and an all-out global war that (luckily) ends well
Page 2: Bolt from the Blue
The greatest worldwide crash of all time approaches without warning, as the economy roars on, farms go corporate, skyscrapers sprout, and financial markets boom
Page 3: Crash, then Silence
The 1929 stock market crash takes everyone by surprise, but is followed up by a year of rebound, until a much more terrifying plunge begins, and doesn't stop
Page 4: Black Hole
Like a biblical plague, the Dust Bowl sweeps in to crush hope on the Great Plains, while bread lines and soup kitchens replace vaudeville in the cities, and farms are sold at auction
Page 5: Faint Hopes
Franklin Roosevelt takes office as everything is crashing down, taking immediate action to halt a banking meltdown, while casting about for ways to stop the plunge and rescue farmers
Page 6: Immediate Actions
With the banking crisis over, FDR launches the CCC to provide immediate employment to youths, while helping develop natural resources
Page 7: Moving on to Construction
Longer-term efforts center on the WPA, which begins a massive frenzy of construction to stabilize the economy, building dams and providing rural electrification
Page 8: Relieving Hardship
Roosevelt caps the New Deal with the Social Security program, to help relieve rural poverty (mostly in Appalachia), especially among elderly people with no savings
Page 9: Blacks are Kept Separate
The poorest of the poor in America are Blacks, who live in semi-ghettos under the widely accepted policy of segregation, which enforces the separation of Blacks from Whites
Page 10: Foundational Infrastructure
New Deal construction projects support every aspect of urban life, from parks, stadiums and airports, to court houses, schools and libraries
Page 11: Solid Performance
Roosevelt has been accused of simply throwing money at the problem, but you can't get things moving quickly by counting pennies, and many New Deal achievements have endured
Page 12: Transportation in Transition
After 100 years of dominance, railroads are now in visible decline, with trucks and pipelines diverting a growing fraction of shipments, and vessels remaining a cheaper alternative
Page 13: Communism and Fascism as Alternatives
America's struggle with unemployment raise doubts about democracy's ability to endure, as Russian industrial progress, and Hitler's early success, offer attractive alternatives
Page 14: Fascism Rising
Hitler's success bringing Germany back from ruin earn him initial admiration, but later moves towards territorial expansion leave democracies in a state of perplexed inaction
Page 15: Hitler's Big Push
Having seized all of Europe (except Britain), Hitler expects a cake-walk on his way to Moscow, misjudging stubborn Russian resolve and industrial capacity, while Japan suddenly attacks
Page 16: Darkest Hour
After smashing entire Russian armies in the initial going, and crippling Allied shipping with his submarines, Hitler is unexpectedly checked at Moscow, with winter winds howling
Page 17: The Tide Turns
Hitler's defeat at Stalingrad denies access to crucial Russian oil fields, forcing a long, exhausting retreat back to Berlin, while American marines advance in the Pacific, and D-Day succeeds
Page 18: The End no longer in Doubt
His ambitions thwarted, Hitler refuses to accept reality as the Soviets take Berlin, but finally commits suicide, while the Japanese hold out until Truman drops the A-bomb
Page 19: Relief Mixed with Uncertainty
With Hitler now dead, worries that the world may sink back into depression prove groundless, as retail business rebounds convincingly, and big corporations grow bigger yet
Page 20: Hollywood Blockbusters
America becomes increasingly optimistic, as lavish color movies brighten the mood in packed theaters, jazz continues to swing, and country fairs bring fun to the Midwest
Page 21: Fun with Gasoline
Gasoline is now the dominant fuel, and oil a growing industry, as Americans take to cars and planes to explore suddenly widening horizons, in increased comfort and style
Page 22: America's New Pastime
Shopping centers and parking lots sprout everywhere, as America's increasing love affair with cars morphs into a seemingly insatiable desire to just go shopping