As one of the most comprehensive records of the Great Depression in America, Robert S. McElvaine's The Great Depression: America 1929-1941 traces causes, experiences, and enduring impacts of the event for the American people. He primarily devotes his attention to the interplay of economic and political decisions in the 1930s which led to the inequality of income. Without sufficient spending money, the American people could not participate in the consumption upon which the economy so vitally depended. Businesses failed, raising levels of unemployment.
McElvaine distinguishes himself from other historians in this book by turning his attention to the daily experiences of Americans during this period. He includes countless interviews and written documents from American citizens living in or after the Depression. Through their personal opinions, McElvaine develops his case for the origins of the economic problem in the States. Interesting to note, this book precedes the author's second book on the subject, Down and Out During the Great Depression, which solely relies upon this approach of firsthand testimony in order to offer greater, more personal insight into the events of the 1930s.
