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The definitive guide to the key events and policies that caused the Great Depression. Few areas of historical research have provoked such intensive study as the causes of America’s Great Depression—and for good reason. Tens of millions of humans suffered intense misery and despair. How bad was the Great Depression? The dimensions of the economic …

Years of deficit spending has made monetary policy a slave to fiscal policy. The federal government is moving into the final stages of its fiscal life. Deficits have gotten so enormous that the Federal Reserve simply prints the money the government needs. Why? Because that’s the only option left on the table. For years, we …

Millions of Americans are missing payments on credit cards and car loans as the coronavirus pandemic squeezes consumers’ wallets, data shows. Nearly 15 million credit cards, or about 3.2 percent of the nation’s accounts, were in “financial hardship” status in April, according to figures from credit-reporting company TransUnion. That means the accounts were frozen, in …

Germany tried paying people for not working after WWI. It didn’t turn out so well. Massive government debt, sky-high unemployment, the economy frozen, idle workers receiving payments from the government. This might sound like COVID-19, but I am actually talking about post-World War I Germany. If your high school history teacher skipped this story, here’s …

In 1917, Bolsheviks under Lenin seized control of Russia in the famous October revolution, ending a short-lived experiment with constitutional democracy and replacing it with a one-Party socialist state. As the revolution swirled through the streets of St. Petersberg, a girl of 12 watched many of the events from the balcony of her family’s house.  …

“So you think money is the root of all evil?” That is the question the wealthy, dashing copper magnate Francisco d’Anconia asked at the beginning of his famous “money speech” in Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged. D’Anconia was addressing a roomful of people who seemed confused about the meaning of money. Sixty-two years later, …

“How to Get Away with Murder” went out with several huge bangs Thursday night. The six-season ABC series gave viewers a sense of closure in wrapping up the labyrinthian, twisty —  and often nonsensical — tale of morally ambiguous lawyer Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and the law-school minions who followed her down a dark, murderous …

Team Flash, in this season’s (early) finale, scored a couple of wins — but also may have unknowingly suffered a great loss. With Eva now out and about, suited up and gunning for her husband, and with Mirror Singh still doing her bidding, Barry & Co. theorized that Carver’s wife will have to first contend …

Fans of “How to Get Away with Murder” won’t be disappointed by Thursday night’s series finale, which closes the book on morally ambiguous lawyer Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) and her not-so-merry band of student accomplices. The 10 p.m. episode, “Stay,” remains true to the show’s trademark elements — shockers, labyrinthian/implausible plot twists and quick-cut chronological …

In an effort to “fight” the consequences of the politically orchestrated “lockdown,” the Fed pumps vast amounts of money into the economy. It injects base money into the banking system. It also monetizes outstanding debt and finances the US administration’s deficit spending policy by issuing new money. This not only increases “excess reserves” in the …