Amazon.com description: Product Description: An economic downturn is not necessarily a depression. The mechanisms of a depression, its causes and effects, and how it develops into a worldwide situation are clearly laid out and informatively explored. The Great Depression is used as an illustrative thread running throughout the book to bring compelling, vivid life to the principles discussed. Your readers will come away with a solid and sophisticated understanding of the economic principles underlying the business cycle, while feeling more confident and capable of coping with real world economic downturns.