Innovation is the only way to grow the economy on a per capita basis – this has been shown by numerous economists, one of which won a Noble Prize in Economics for his work in this area. Patents are the free market method of encouraging innovation. Generally anti-free market attitudes accompany anti-patent attitudes. Clearly, these other anti-free market attitudes contribute to the slowing of the economy

Despite the oil crisis both Japan and Germany continued to grow in the 1970s – so you incorrect that this was the cause of US economic slowdown.

The stock market correction of 1929 & 1930 was a normal correction. It took the absurd economic policies of Hoover and Roosevelt to convert this crisis into a catastrophe. For more information see the book “FDR’s Folly”. While this is an excellent book, it does not take into account our modern economic understanding of innovations effect on the economy.

Because the US has generally been a leader in technology, it does not have the ability to grow economically by just adopting other countries technology. The world is understandable stepback and patent policy’s effect on the economy has been underappreciated.

DB,

The world is a complicated place.

Not everything revolves around patents.
Correlation does not mean cause and effect.

The 1970’s downturn was due to a major crude oil crisis.

The 1930’s was the end of a Wall Street casino party and so is/was 2009.