The examination of U.S. crises reveals that the current financial crisis follows past patterns. An investment bubble creates excess demand for new financing instruments. During the railroad bubbles of the nineteenth century loans were issued at a pace higher than many companies could pay back....

The economic history of the United States is riddled with financial crises and banking panics. During the nineteenth-century, eight major such episodes occurred. In the period following World War II, some believed that these crises would no longer happen, and that the U.S. had reached a time of...

Financial crises, booms and busts are an inherent part of the capitalist system. The current financial crisis that began in 2007 has reignited the debate about the causes and consequences of previous economic downturns. While some look at the differences among crises, both historical and as...