A Nation in Torment by: Edward Robb Ellis

Recently I was having a conversation with my mother, regarding the financial problems that we are facing, in this country. She asked me a question that I couldn't really answer. It was in response to many of the things that she has heard on talk radio -- particularly about how the Republicans, and the Democrats can interpret history so differently. I knew what she was talking about, as I had heard many of the same radio shows. The latest debates on if FDR actually helped get us out of the Depression, or if he hindered our recovery, and prolonged the Depression. As my mother put it -- history is what it is. You can't bend and shape it to your own needs and devices.
Well, to a certain extent she is correct. Even though history his usually written by the victors -- the surviving records still speak for themselves. Which brings me to the book I have just finished reading. A Nation In Torment is one of the more disturbing books I have read in a long time. Written in 1970, the author primarily used his diary of the times, as well as first hand sources to assemble an amazingly in depth picture into the causes, and effects of the Depression. Reading this book was like reading a prognostication of what is to come. It carries eerie similarities to the world we now live in, and I found myself grateful that my Grandmother didn't live to see this repeat performance of capitalism, in one of its less than stellar moments. As aptly put by the author, "What caused the Crash? Greedy people wanted more than they needed. Foolish people thought they could get something for nothing. Impulsive people bought now in the hope of paying later. Income and wealth were distributed unfairly and dangerously. The rich regarded themselves as an all-knowing elite. The masses were not paid enough money to consume all the goods they produced. The economy was unsound. The corporate structure was sick. The banking system was weak. Foreign trade was out of balance. Business data were inadequate and often faulty."

This book is an interesting look into not only the causes of the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939. It is also an interesting look into many of the problems that were not corrected the previous time around, and these same problems have led to a repeat of the past. I am a firm believer in the theory that if you don't know history, you are destined to repeat it. This book is a clear look into this theory. Fascinating to read, it is one of the most informative books on the Great Depression era that I have ever come across. Written in clear, easy to understand language, it presents the story beginning to end, of a very troubling time, which is once again playing out in the history of our country.

This is a book that we as a people should read if for no other reason than to understand the risks we run, when we fail to know what is going on in the world around us. I would recommend this book, not only for those that are students of history -- but also for those that are looking for answers to the same questions that are being asked today, that were asked once before -- in 1929.