Rating: 
Summary: worth it's weight in Gold
Review: This book destroys the left myth that the Great Depression was caused by the free market being allowed to run rampent, and "fixed" by various government programs, mandates, and laws. To answer one reviewer's question -- a reviewer who obviously didn't even read the book -- "How can the Great Depression have been caused by government policy when ALL of the government intervention took place AFTER the GD had already come close to peaking?"...The reality is that the Great Depression was caused by inflation and various other government intervention before it started (the buildup of malinvestments during the boom), and prolonged and prolonged and gravely deepened by various government interventions after it started. The Great Depression would have ended relatively quickly, had not the government intervened in attempting to restart another round of boom, and doing such foolish things as allowing banks to renig on their contractual obligations.
Rating:
Summary: worth it's weight in Gold
Review: This book destroys the left myth that the Great Depression was caused by the free market being allowed to run rampent, and "fixed" by various government programs, mandates, and laws. To answer one reviewer's question -- a reviewer who obviously didn't even read the book -- "How can the Great Depression have been caused by government policy when ALL of the government intervention took place AFTER the GD had already come close to peaking?"...The reality is that the Great Depression was caused by inflation and various other government intervention before it started (the buildup of malinvestments during the boom), and prolonged and prolonged and gravely deepened by various government interventions after it started. The Great Depression would have ended relatively quickly, had not the government intervened in attempting to restart another round of boom, and doing such foolish things as allowing banks to renig on their contractual obligations.
Rating:
Summary: Helps us understand the REAL CAUSES of the Great Depression
Review: This book is so good that I read it twice. Rothbard shows us clearly that the real causes of Economic Depressions is GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION in the economy. Of course this is understood widely nowadays (at least among those who think). But 40 years ago it was popular to believe in other causes like "overexpansion of productive capacity" or other fallacies. Rothbard convincingly flushes these other theories down where they belong. I believe the most lasting contribution of this book is to clearly show the basics of economics, in language that anybody can understand (Ludwig von Mises is considered the greatest ecnomist of the Austrian School of Economics, but have YOU ever tried to read his "Theory of Money and Credit?". I couldn't wade through it even with a dictionary in hand. Trust me, Rothbard is a better spokesman for free-market economics, in my opinion).
Rating:
Summary: Helps us understand the REAL CAUSES of the Great Depression
Review: This book is so good that I read it twice. Rothbard shows us clearly that the real causes of Economic Depressions is GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION in the economy. Of course this is understood widely nowadays (at least among those who think). But 40 years ago it was popular to believe in other causes like "overexpansion of productive capacity" or other fallacies. Rothbard convincingly flushes these other theories down where they belong. I believe the most lasting contribution of this book is to clearly show the basics of economics, in language that anybody can understand (Ludwig von Mises is considered the greatest ecnomist of the Austrian School of Economics, but have YOU ever tried to read his "Theory of Money and Credit?". I couldn't wade through it even with a dictionary in hand. Trust me, Rothbard is a better spokesman for free-market economics, in my opinion).
Rating: 
Summary: book is built upon false assumption, so goes nowhere
Review: This is a favorite among Libertarians, Classical Liberalists and Regean "Supply-Siders". This book is built upon completely false assumptions. How can the Great Depression have been caused by government policy when ALL of the government intervention took place AFTER the GD had already come close to peaking. It is true the tariff act further hurt the economy, but was not the prime factor that accelerated the collapse. FDR never resorted to Keynsianism anyhow until WW2 which finally brought us out of the GD. ...
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This is an astounding work. One cannot claim to understand the causes of the Great Depression without reading this book. The long-held and fallacious doctrine that blames laissez-faire capitalism for the boom and bust cycle is allowed no standing whatsoever. Rothbard clearly shows how the government caused and horribly sharpened the Great Depression. This is a monumental work that deserves nothing short of deep admiration.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Depression - boom and bust clearly explained
Review: This is an excelent book for anyone who wants to understand what causes the regular boom and bust cycles. Rothbard uses mountains of economic data to convince the reader that it was economic intervention by the government, and the central bank, which caused and prolonged the Great Depression. The book starts off slowly given that it is laden with economic tables, and explanations. The second half is more interesting since it describes Hoover's interventionism, and wraps up everything delineated in the first part. A great book for anyone interested in economics, and politics, and of course anyone who enjoys Rothbard's clear writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Popular opinion breeds free market stupidity
Review: this is one of the most enraging books I have ever read about anything related to economics. The author seems to forget that underneath ALL of the formulas and "trends" in any field of economics lies WEALTH. REAL, SUBSTANTIAL, PRODUCTIVE, LABOR-RELATED WEALTH. This is something even Keynesian economists fail in recognizing...any book which does not recognize the intervention of FDR's fiscal policy as a return to the philosophy of our founding fathers (IE. Henry Clay, Alexander Hamilton)and the only way we could have possibly survived the depression and the mobilization to fight fascism is a POORLY written book from an author who is obviously misinformed by the popular trash of classroom and related ivory tower academia.
Rating:
Summary: Popular opinion breeds free market stupidity
Review: this is one of the most enraging books I have ever read about anything related to economics. The author seems to forget that underneath ALL of the formulas and "trends" in any field of economics lies WEALTH. REAL, SUBSTANTIAL, PRODUCTIVE, LABOR-RELATED WEALTH. This is something even Keynesian economists fail in recognizing...any book which does not recognize the intervention of FDR's fiscal policy as a return to the philosophy of our founding fathers (IE. Henry Clay, Alexander Hamilton)and the only way we could have possibly survived the depression and the mobilization to fight fascism is a POORLY written book from an author who is obviously misinformed by the popular trash of classroom and related ivory tower academia.
Rating:
Summary: The truth of the matter on either side of "the spectrum:
Review: Tom:
Henry Clay? Alexander Hamilton? You are betraying your mercantilist leanings.
If you are either a Marxist or an Austrian you will appreciate the straight shooting of Murray Rothbard. He goes to the heart of the matter, Fractional Reserve Banking, and does not let go the entire book.
These concepts, in an ideal America, would be plain to any high-school graduate. But we don't live in that world. Read this, and reconsider the Great Depression. Keynes was a fool.
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