The first modern financial crisis in the globalized world | DW Documentary

When the Asian financial crisis hit, it was something the world hadn‘t seen since the 1930s. For the first time since World War II, the global economy faced the very real threat of a complete collapse. Disturbingly, the sudden crisis came as a complete surprise.

In the late 1990s, the world economy seemed to be on a steady path of growth. This trajectory was driven primarily by the emerging economies of Southeast Asia, the global region with the strongest economic growth. Then, within a very short time, millions of people suddenly lost their livelihoods. Hunger, mass unemployment and uprisings returned to these previously prosperous countries. What was particularly disturbing to crisis managers at the time was that they had not anticipated the crisis, and were not prepared for it. Their hasty attempts to correct the problem did not bear fruit for a long time - in fact, in the short-term, these measures worsened the situation. How could this happen?

Ten years later, in 2008 and 2009, the global economy was once again on the brink of a complete collapse. What became known as the Global Financial Crisis demonstrated how much our world depends on the financial market. In this documentary, world-renowned experts question whether the toxic threat of collapse might perhaps be an inherent part of our economic system. To date, there is no satisfactory answer to this question. One conclusion that can be drawn: we are still living on an economic powder keg, today.