“In the 1930s one was aware of two great evils – mass unemployment and the threat of war.”
The 1930s were a profound and pivotal decade in global history. Following the Wall Street Crash in 1929, a global economic depression rocked most major powers across the world, leading to mass unemployment, standards of living dropping and more radical populist ideological and political movements seizing power. This decade-long economic and political struggle would eventually lead to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. However, the ‘30s were also a period of immense social, cultural and technological upheaval with everything from the boom of swing music, and animation in film, to first-wave feminism redefining norms and values of the day. Join us at What We Reading as we look back at the decade with the best historical books on the 1930s!
The Dark Valley: A Panorama Of The 1930s – Piers Brendon
From Stalinist pogroms to New Deal programs, historian Piers Brendon kicks off our list of 1930s books with a sweeping run through the decade in his book, The Dark Valley. In it, he expertly breaks down how a dark time of global depression froze liberal democracies, displaced millions, led to the rise of totalitarian powers and, eventually, the Second World War.
Brendo recreates the most pivotal events that led the world to World War Two in The Dark Valley. Through a combination of vivid portrayals of the major players and events as well as what everyday life looked like, it is a fascinating look back at the decade that helps readers make sense of one of the most defining and complex eras in history.
The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Golden Age: The 1930s (They Drew As They Pleased #1) – Didier Ghez
The 1930s saw the Walt Disney Studios begin production of their first-ever feature-length film. Taking three years to make, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves premiered in 1937 and became the highest-grossing film of its day by 1939. Didier Ghez looks back at Disney’s first decade, and the ambitious concept artists the company hired to set the stage and inspire others to come.
The Hidden Art of Disney’s Golden Age is a magical showcase of these artists and their defining work. As well as designs that would be used for Snow White, Pinocchio and a whole host of other unfinished or unreleased projects from the time, they also showcase several features that would later be used in films ranging from Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. With anecdotes on the artists and material sourced from Walt Disney Archives and the Disney Animation Research Library, Ghez lifts the lid on Disney’s early golden age and provides a whimsical look at early art and animation from the 1930s.
Paris On The Brink (Interwar Paris #2) – Mary McAuliffe
In the second book in her Interwar Paris series, historian Mary McAuliffe vividly chronicles the City of Lights in the turbulent depression years. Beginning with the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and ending with the outbreak of war and occupation, it is a fascinating portrait of one of Europe’s leading hubs and its people being pushed to the absolute limit.
Workers flexed their economic muscles, the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ led to a widening and often violent political split between left and right factions, and the threat from Germany to the East and the Spanish Civil War to the south led to a worrying dependance on the Maginot Line for safety. And yet, McAuliffe also demonstrates how Paris remained one of the continent’s centres for cultural creativity, with artists, authors, thinkers and musicians all leaving an indelible mark on the city and country for decades to come. Paris on the Brink remains one of the best 1930s books for bringing this tumultuous era to life.
Minding The Manor: The Memoir Of A 1930s English Kitchen Maid – Mollie Moran
Mollie Moran provides a fascinating insight into 1930s society through her memoir working ‘downstairs’ as a maid during the decade in her 2013 book, Minding the Manor. Having left school at fourteen, she guides readers through how she picked up a job as a scullery maid working for an eccentric gentleman with a mansion house in London’s Knightsbridge and a Tudor manor in Norfolk.
She documents the long days she endured scrubbing steps, polishing doorknobs and helping to prepare meals in the kitchen, eventually climbing to be a kitchen maid for Lord Islington and then cook for the Earl of Leicester’s niece at Wallington Hall. However, Minding the Manor is also a whimsical recounting of the freedom Molie enjoyed, the friendships she struck up and the romance that blossomed during her rich life. For a more personal and intimate look at life in the ‘30s, Moran’s memoir is not to be missed.
Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life In Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia In The 1930s – Sheila Fitzpatrick
Josef Stalin is one of history’s most infamous figures. From the ambitious five-year plans that turned Russia into an industrial superpower, to the show trials and purges that led to the deaths of millions of his people, the 1930s were the decade where the Man of Steel arguably forged his legacy. But, what was everyday life truly like during this era?
In her 1930s book Everyday Stalinism, historian Sheila Fitzpatrick explores the lives of the urban population living under the dictator’s thumb during the decade. This pioneering account of Russia brings to life a society of overcrowding and broken homes, where government bureaucracy eventually gives way to mass surveillance and waves of terror such as the Great Purge of 1937 sporadically jettisoning things into turmoil. Unlike other biographies of Stalin and Russia, Fitzpatrick brings history to life from the ‘bottom-up’ and through the eyes of the everyday citizens who experienced it first-hand.
The Coming Of The Third Reich (The History Of The Third Reich #1) – Richard J. Evans
Richard J. Evans is one of the world’s most distinguished historians, and his book The Coming of the Third Reich stands as one of the most compelling and well-researched reckonings of Hitler’s rise to power in 1930s Germany.
Evans sets the scene of the country at the turn of the century, exploring how the combination of military defeat in World War One and economic ruin in the wake of the Great Depression helped make Germany a fertile breeding ground for the Fascist seizure of power. Exploring the distrust, alienation and growing extremism amongst its population, it is one of the most fascinating chroniclings of 1930s society and a stark reminder that the lessons learned from history should never be forgotten.
The Little Girl Who Fought The Great Depression: Shirley Temple And 1930s America – John F. Kasson
No mention of 1930s Hollywood would be complete without mentioning Shirley Temple. For four years between 1934 and 1938, she Hollywood’s number-one box-office draw, rivalling the likes of King Edward VIII and President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the most photographed person in the world.
In his stunning biography of America’s first child acting superstar, historian John F. Kasson examines how Temple became admired by everyone from Andy Warhol to Anne Frank, and whose cheery optimism drove millions of people through the desperation of the decade. Much more of a commentary on Depression-era America than a sweeping biography of Temple and her career, The Little Girl Who Fought the Great Depression is one of the best 1930s books for understanding how the economic woes of the time hit most people, and the cultural and societal restbite Temple was able to provide from them.
The Purple Diaries: Mary Astor And The Most Sensational Hollywood Scandal Of The 1930s – Joseph Egan
Joseph Egan lifts the lid on the incredible life of one of America’s first Hollywood stars and a scandal that would push everything from Hitler’s 1936 Olympic Games and Franco’s Spanish Civil War off the front pages in The Purple Diaries.
Mary Astor had become the biggest name in the blossoming Hollywood machine. After being widowed at just twenty-four, she married Dr. Franklyn Thorpe, though the pair’s relationship was rocky with both being unfaithful before finally divorcing. However, what followed was a stunning public custody battle between the husband and wife over their daughter, Marylyn Thorpe. Dr. Thorpe’s trump card in the proceedings would be the diary entries Mary had kept, documenting her affairs with some of the biggest players in the world of Hollywood. Players who would do anything to keep these juicy details out of the public eye. Complete with photographs and memorabilia from Astor’s estate, Egan’s book is a fascinating look at the scandal that rocked America, and very nearly brought down the glamorous world of Hollywood before it had even taken off.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
