Why Was the Great Depression So Great?

Economy | May 17, 2012

By Michael Rathbone | Read Time 1 minute

Last month, Show-Me Institute Policy Researcher Michael Rathbone visited Westminster Christian Academy in Saint Louis County to deliver a guest lecture to eighth grade U.S. history students. The subject of the lecture was the Great Depression, and the information contained within was frequently contrary to the conventional wisdom that “big business” or “greed” caused or prolonged the Great Depression, instead showing how government intervention encouraged, worsened, and prolonged what might otherwise have been a brief recession.

About the Author

Michael Rathbone

Michael Rathbone was a policy researcher at the Show-Me Institute. He is a native of Saint Louis and a 2008 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering. In 2010, Michael obtained an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis with concentrations in finance and health care management. At the Show-Me Institute, Michaels policy areas included the state budget, taxes, public pensions, and public subsidies. He also delivered lectures to area high school students about the Great Depression from an economic perspective. Michael lives in Fenton.

[email protected]

Learn more about this author >