The Broken Decade

Overview

The Depression of the 1930s was a defining period in New Zealand history. But one generation's reality is another's history. The desperate struggles experienced by many for work, food and shelter during the 1930s eventually gave way to the sunny postwar years, when the Depression was no more than an uncomfortable memory. And now, for the children of the twenty-first century, it's just a word. While the lives of those most affected by the Depression have been admirably documented in oral histories in various forms, the political and economic context, and the manoeuvrings and responses to the unprecedented conditions have not, until now, been given the extensive analysis they deserve.

Author Biography

Malcolm McKinnon has had a lifetime career in New Zealand history. He taught for many years at Victoria University of Wellington and has also worked on a number of government-sponsored historical projects. He was the general editor of the award-winning New Zealand Historical Atlas (1997).