Both occurred against the backdrop of sharp credit booms, dubious banking practices, and a fragile and unstable global financial system. The two great financial crises of the past century are the Great Depression of the 1930s and the Great Recession, which began in 2008. Read Online and Download Hall of Mirrors: The Great Depression, the Great Recession, and the Uses - and Misuses - of History. Hall of Mirrors: The Great Depression, the Great Recession, and the Uses - and Misuses - of History BY Barry Eichengreen