From the issue dated September 28, 2001
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A Second Black TuesdayBy ROBERT S. McELVAINE
I always point out to my classes on the Great Depression that it is a myth that during the 1929 Crash the streets of the financial district were filled with the bodies of people leaping from the windows of tall buildings. It is a measure of how much worse were the events of this modern Tuesday than those of that infamous day in 1929 that the horrifying pictures of human beings jumping from windows last week were an unspeakable reality. One of the most important aspects of the Great Depression was that it interrupted the modern historical movement toward ever more consumption and self-centeredness, which was apparent in the 1920s and which would return so powerfully after World War II. I suspect that the scope of the horror we have just witnessed may have a similar effect, although only for a time. People cannot help but see in the consequences of the terrorist attacks a clear reminder that money and possessions are not the most important aspects of life. Robert S. McElvaine is a professor of history at Millsaps College. http://chronicle.com Section: The Chronicle Review Page: B16
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Copyright © 2001 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
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Reflections on the Fractured Landscape |
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