'Bernstein focuses on the real puzzle of the 1930s: why did the economy fail to recover from the downturn of 1929–1933? he presents a convincing case that there were important long-run tendencies within the economy that are crucial to understanding this failure. His approach cuts across the more traditional explanations which have been for the most part tests of economic theories rather than historical explanations of the depression. Bernstein's book is, in a word, impressive.' Roger Ransom, University of California, Riverside

• List of tables; List of figures; Editors' preface; Preface; Introduction: the puzzle of the 1930s; 1. Long-term economic growth and the problem of recovery in the United States, 1929–39; 2. The transformation of American industry in the interwar period; 3. A reassessment of investment failure in the interwar economy; 4. Technical change during the interwar years; 5. The effective demand problem of the interwar period I: cyclical and structural unemployment; 6. The effective demand problem of the interwar period II: cyclical and secular changes in final demand; 7. New deal economic policy and the problem of recovery; 8. Contemporary economic problems in historical perspective; Bibliography; Index.