The result has been a grindingly slow recovery in the united states and endless recession in europe hall of mirrors is both a major work of economic history and an essential exploration of how we avoided making only some of the same mistakes twice it shows not just how the lessons of great depression history continue to shape societys response to contemporary economic problems but also how the experience of the great recession will permanently change how we think about the great . Barry eichengreens new book hall of mirrors is a detailed excellent and somewhat pessimistic comparison of the two most serious financial crises ever their causes development and consequences readers well versed in the comprehensive literature on the great depression and the great recession in the united states and europe will not find much information in hall of mirrors that is . This item hall of mirrors the great depression the great recession and the uses and misuses of history by barry eichengreen paperback 1617 in stock ships from and sold by amazoncom. Newman p barry eichengreen hall of mirrors the great depression the great recession and the uses and misuses of history rev austrian econ 30 131 135 2017 https doiorg 101007 s11138 015 0320 1 download citation published 24 june 2015 issue date march 2017 doi https doiorg 101007 s11138 015 0320 1. The two great financial crises of the past century are the great depression of the 1930s and the great recession which began in 2008 both occurred against the backdrop of sharp credit booms dubious banking practices and a fragile and unstable global financial system when markets went into cardiac arrest in 2008 policymakers invoked the lessons of the great depression in attempting to