Date of Creation

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Liat Spiro

Second Advisor

Thomas R. Gottschang

Abstract

Fewer times in American history have been more bleak than the Great Depression. Unemployment rates as high as 20%; people waiting for hours in breadlines to get food for themselves and their families; thousands of Americans living in ramshackle “Hoovervilles.” In the midst of this calamity, the United Auto Workers of America (UAW) proposes full employment economics—a fundamental transformation of American society which would guarantee every American a job. And yet, despite full employment’s popularity in all corners of the US, the policy, somewhat paradoxically, fails. This thesis seeks to explore why.

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