I came across a great introduction to the ‘alternative’ view of the Great Depression, that is was not the lack of the markets ability to operate efficiently, but rather a large amount of government intervention which skewed the market.

I put the word alternative in quotes because its not too distant from a large portion of analysis of the Great Depression but is dissimilar to the common explanation given to non-economists.

Its interesting to think about these things in the context of what is currently occurring.

Check it out: http://fee.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/greatmythsdepression2008feemcppfinalweb.pdf