Inside the Meltdown - FRONTLINE Documentary

Overview

• Title: Inside the Meltdown
• Series: FRONTLINE
• Season: 2009, Episode 8
• Release Date: February 17, 2009
• Duration: 56 minutes
• Producers: Michael Kirk, Jim Gilmore, Mike Wiser

Key Topics

• Investigation into the 2008 Financial Crisis
• Examination of the U.S. government's response
• Analysis of major financial events influencing the crisis:
  • The Bear Stearns deal
  • The collapse of Lehman Brothers
  • The stabilization efforts for AIG
  • The $700 billion bailout package

Important Figures

• Henry Paulson: Treasury Secretary at the time
• Ben Bernanke: Federal Reserve Chairman

Key Points

• Causes of the Crisis:
  • FRONTLINE delves into the intricate causes of the financial meltdown, considered the worst economic crisis in 70 years.
• Government's Reaction:
  • How the U.S. government attempted to manage and rectify the financial collapse.
  • Focus on what key government officials did not foresee, could not prevent, and struggled to resolve.

Themes

• Economic and Financial Collapse:
  • Analysis of the systemic failures in the financial sector.
• Political and Economic Measures:
  • Insight into government actions and policies, their effectiveness and limitations.

Additional Resources

• Explore more stories related to "Inside the Meltdown" on the original website

Related Topics

• Business and Economy
• U.S. Politics

Support and Feedback

• Funding Sources:
  • Supported by PBS viewers and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  • Additional funding from various foundations including Abrams, Park, MacArthur, Heising-Simons, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund.
• PBS's Role:
  • Their mission includes the support of community engagement and educational content.

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