Interesting video that describes how government intervention turned a Great Recession into a Great Depression. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta2m3D9Ig0g"]Great Myths of the Great Depression! - YouTube[/ame] See how many similarities there are in how the government is handing this Great Recession.
The problem with the reaction was the innate conservatism shown. Keynesianism was forced on the US by the war.