Economic disasters of the twentieth century 1. Destruction ... and misery : the First World War 2. The Great Depression 1929 33 3. The Second World War as an economic disaster 4. The rise fall and rise again of OPEC 5. Inflation in the twentieth century 6. Financial crises 7. Stock market crashes 8. The demise of the command economies in the Soviet Union and its outer empire 9. The fatal inversion : the African growth disaster. The First and Second World Wars the great depression oil shocks inflation financial crises stock market crashes the collapse of the Soviet command economy and third world disasters are discussed in this comprehensive book. The contributors subject these disasters to in depth assessment carefully considering their costs and impact on specific countries and regions as well as assessing them in a global context. The book examines the legacy of economic disasters and asks whether economic disasters are avoidable or whether policymakers can learn from their mistakes