AllMovie

Per its title, this epic, multipart documentary miniseries from The History Channel covers the single most devastating financial crisis of the Twentieth Century: The Great Depression. Beginning with the colossal stock market crash of 1929, the United States entered an economic downturn that yielded massive, widespread unemployment, rescued both by the efforts of Franklin Roosevelt and the U.S. entry into World War II circa 1941. Part One of this program, "The Great Shake-Up," surveys the tumultuous changes undergone by the U.S. from 1929-32, including the sweeping election of FDR and the relocations of Dust Bowl farmers; Part Two, "Face the Music," discusses the way that contemporary American entertainment (such as movies and marathon dancing) evolved as a release from the difficulties of daily life thanks to the Depression. Part Three, "Striking Back," hones in on those Americans who felt let down by Roosevelt's New Deal, mostly individuals who had been driven to the point of no return by the fiscal crisis. And Part Four, "Desperate Measures," reflects on the way in which World War II permanently ended the Depression. Former New York governor Mario Cuomo narrates.