The Book Prize Index

The Crisis of the Old Order

Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

This book, first in a Pulitzer Prize winning trilogy, describes the conditions (economic, socio-political, etc.) that led to the Great Depression & the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Schlesinger takes a multi-disciplinary approach to his topic, examining this period period via the major actors who played a part in shaping it, as well as the emerging trends that such persons represented. As the "old order" succumbed to the turbulence & change that characterized the 20th Century, Schlesinger does a masterful job describing its decline.

HistoryAmerican History · medium confidenceAmerican History81 signalsLlm Classifier: American History -> American HistoryKeyword Classifier: Business & Economics -> Business & EconomicsTopic Classifier: Business, Capitalism & Corporations -> Business & EconomicsBusiness, Capitalism & CorporationsDemocracy & ElectionsMoney, Markets & Economic Policy

Award History

2 wins · 2 total

AwardYearResultCategory / Notes
Bancroft PrizeMajor1958WinnerOfficial source
Francis Parkman Prize1958WinnerSecondary source
View all award history (2)
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies

This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.

  1. 01 Central figures

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

    These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.

    • Franklin D. Roosevelt62%

  2. 02 Central places

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  3. 03 Suggested argument

    No argument inferred with sufficient confidence.

    This suggestion did not meet the normal display threshold and is more likely to be wrong.

    The economic and socio-political conditions leading to the Great Depression culminated in the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, marking the decline of the “old order.”

    Model confidence 55%

  4. 04 Reading orientation

    35 / 100 academic

    Serious trade

    An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.

Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 58%.