Further reading: history.com
Articles, videos, and photographs to help understand the causes, major events, and aftermath of the Great Depression.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression (1929–1939) was more than an economic downturn—it shook the very foundations of American society. The 1929 stock market crash, often cited as the catalyst, wiped out billions of dollars in days, plunging the nation into financial turmoil. More than 9,000 banks collapsed, deepening public mistrust in the financial system. Yet, the crisis had been building long before the crash. A catastrophic drought, known as the Dust Bowl, displaced thousands from their farmlands, while policies like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff stifled international trade, worsening the collapse.
At its peak, one in four Americans was jobless. Families crumbled under financial strain, traditional roles shifted, and a pervasive sense of despair gripped the nation. Meanwhile, Prohibition, which had already fuelled the rise of organised crime, became further entangled with the economic crisis. Notorious figures like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano thrived, profiting from bootlegging, racketeering, and corruption. It is into this background—caught between the criminal underworld and the immense wealth of the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts—that Pandini is placed.
