Hobsbawn Great Depression
Section VIII: The Great Depression Political Analysis of the Great Depression
It is no doubt that the Great Depression of late 1920’s to the early 1930’s had a dramatic effect that not only affected the united States of America, but the whole world. However, it is rare to find historians that analyze the Depression from a global stand point. Often, it is analyzed from a national standpoint, one in particular, the United States of America. In the both excerpts “Into the Economic Abyss” and “Roosevelt and Hitler: New Deal and Nazi Reactions to the Depression” written by Eric Hobsbawn and John Garraty, respectively, evaluates the Great Depression from a more international view point. They both do, however, differ in their approach. Hobsbawn …show more content…
Both authors agree that this was dangerous: Garraty exclaims that fascism not only “transformed into a world movement, but a world danger” (261). In support of this, Hobsbawn further supports by arguing that the Depression prepared grounds for dangerous regimes (247).
Both authors agree that the great depression destroyed economic liberalism (Hobsbawn, 254). In both Germany and the United States, though they benefited from the government policies that controlled their businesses and industries, they business and industry markets lost their influence and freedom of action and managerial decision making (Garraty, 271).
Hobsbawn argues that the Great depression forced Western Governments to give social considerations priority over economic ones in their state policies (254). Garraty agrees and further explains that this was not initially the intention of both leaders (Roosevelt and Hitler) (276). Their plan was designed mainly to tackle economic issues, for example the corporatism organization. Initially, this plan was intended to bring economic equality, but it ended up having its social biasness, where big businesses and large corporations ended up being benefited to the neglect of the others. It was then that the government under both leaders saw it then necessary to abandon corporatism and take a more anti-business stance (Garraty, 270). Other examples that lead to similar consequences were the effects of the New Deal farm policy for sharecroppers (Hobsbawn, 254; Garraty, 276) and its public housing policy on racial segregation, and that of the Nazi rearmament on urban concentration (Garraty,
It is no doubt that the Great Depression of late 1920’s to the early 1930’s had a dramatic effect that not only affected the united States of America, but the whole world. However, it is rare to find historians that analyze the Depression from a global stand point. Often, it is analyzed from a national standpoint, one in particular, the United States of America. In the both excerpts “Into the Economic Abyss” and “Roosevelt and Hitler: New Deal and Nazi Reactions to the Depression” written by Eric Hobsbawn and John Garraty, respectively, evaluates the Great Depression from a more international view point. They both do, however, differ in their approach. Hobsbawn …show more content…
Both authors agree that this was dangerous: Garraty exclaims that fascism not only “transformed into a world movement, but a world danger” (261). In support of this, Hobsbawn further supports by arguing that the Depression prepared grounds for dangerous regimes (247).
Both authors agree that the great depression destroyed economic liberalism (Hobsbawn, 254). In both Germany and the United States, though they benefited from the government policies that controlled their businesses and industries, they business and industry markets lost their influence and freedom of action and managerial decision making (Garraty, 271).
Hobsbawn argues that the Great depression forced Western Governments to give social considerations priority over economic ones in their state policies (254). Garraty agrees and further explains that this was not initially the intention of both leaders (Roosevelt and Hitler) (276). Their plan was designed mainly to tackle economic issues, for example the corporatism organization. Initially, this plan was intended to bring economic equality, but it ended up having its social biasness, where big businesses and large corporations ended up being benefited to the neglect of the others. It was then that the government under both leaders saw it then necessary to abandon corporatism and take a more anti-business stance (Garraty, 270). Other examples that lead to similar consequences were the effects of the New Deal farm policy for sharecroppers (Hobsbawn, 254; Garraty, 276) and its public housing policy on racial segregation, and that of the Nazi rearmament on urban concentration (Garraty,