The Broken Decade

Explore the gripping narrative of a pivotal era in New Zealand history with 'The Broken Decade' by Malcolm McKinnon. This in-depth paperback edition, measuring 170 x 240 mm and comprising 556 pages, offers a deep dive into the 1930s Depression—a decade defined by economic turmoil, social strife, and resilient spirit. McKinnon's meticulously researched account reveals the harsh realities faced by New Zealanders during this tumultuous period, where terms like 'swaggers', 'sugarbags', and 'relief work' came to symbolize the struggles for survival. As the author skillfully unravels the political and economic conditions of the time, the book provides a fresh perspective for the modern reader, making it more than just a historical document. Delve into compelling personal stories, insightful analysis, and relevant statistics that paint a vivid picture of life during the Great Depression. 'The Broken Decade' is not only a historical examination but also a crucial resource for understanding the socio-economic context that shaped New Zealand's recovery in the postwar years. This profound narrative will resonate with history enthusiasts and anyone interested in the critical lessons of resilience and renewal, ensuring it stands out as New Zealand's definitive study on the Depression of the 1930s.

Author: Malcolm McKinnon Publisher: Otago University Press
Bind: paperback
Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm
Pages: 556
Publication Date: 12-09-2016

The Depression of the 1930s was a defining period in New Zealand history. It had its own vocabulary - swaggers and sugarbags, relief work and sustenance, the Queen Street riots and special constables - that was all too familiar to those who lived through that tumultuous decade. 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. The Broken Decade, Malcolm McKinnon’s detailed and absorbing history of this period, unpicks the Depression year by year. It begins by introducing the prosperous world of New Zealand in the late 1920s before focusing on the sudden onset of the Depression in 1930-31, the catastrophic months that followed and, finally, on the attempt to find a way back to that pre-Depression prosperity. Informed by exhaustive research, relevant statistics and fascinating personal accounts, and made accessible and meaningful by insightful analysis, this important book will become New Zealand’s definitive study of the 1930s Depression.