Amazon.com
The 1930s, the decade defined by the Great Depression, is profiled in this documentary, an episode of a 10-volume set chronicling the entire 20th century. The video, relying on a wealth of footage shot by the burgeoning numbers of newsreel cameramen, points out how President Herbert Hoover did little to combat the deepening depression in a decade that began with American society being pressed to its limits. With the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the outlook improved, though the nation, and indeed the world, was still in a perilous economic state. The documentary explains the methods Roosevelt immediately employed to fight unemployment and hardship, which included massive public works projects and the "alphabet soup agencies," most notably the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Though often considered a decade marked by bleak problems, ranging from the obvious economic struggles to problems involving race relations and the rise of dictators overseas, the '30s also had some frivolous moments. Footage showing America's growing obsessions with the movies and baseball are an enjoyable diversion in what is mostly a serious narrative. This is an informative look at the 1930s, and given the quality of newsreel footage, it is at times surprisingly entertaining.
--Robert J. McNamara
