The 100 Most Important American Financial Crises: An Encyclopedia of the Lowest Points in American Economic History

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ABC-CLIO, Dec 9, 2014 - Business & Economics - 337 pages

Covering events such as banking crises, economic bubbles, natural disasters, trade embargoes, and depressions, this single-volume encyclopedia of major U.S. financial downturns provides readers with an event-driven understanding of the evolution of the American economy.

The United States has fairly recently experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. But crippling financial crises are hardly unusual: economic emergencies have occurred throughout American history and can be seen as a cyclical and "normal" (if undesirable) aspect of an economic system. This encyclopedia supplies objective, accessible, and interesting entries on 100 major U.S. financial crises from the Colonial era to today that have had tremendous domestic impact—and in many cases, global impact as well.

The entries explore the history and impact of major economic events, including banking crises, economic shortages, recessions, national strikes and labor upheavals, natural resource shortages, panics, real estate bubbles, social upheavals, and the collapse of specific American industries such as rubber and steel production. Students will find this book an essential ready-reference on key events in American economic history that documents how and why these events led to significant financial and economic problems throughout the United States and around the globe.

  • Supplies up-to-date information on financial crises from crashes to natural disasters that is relevant to high school and college students in history, government, business, and economics classes
  • Offers a look at causes, responses, and ultimate outcomes of financial crises decades later, allowing readers to perceive unintended consequences of free trade agreements or new technology
  • Documents how events far outside average American citizens' awareness can culminate in a financial crisis that greatly impacts their everyday lives, and the cyclical nature of the nation's economy
  • Includes key primary documents, a chronology of key dates, an appendix of relevant sources, and an index organized by category, company names, and personal names

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About the author (2014)

Quentin R. Skrabec Jr., PhD, is professor of business at the University of Findlay, Findlay, OH.

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