Coming to Terms

I think that one of the problems we are experiencing as vaunted members of the fifth estate, is a lack of a catchy sobriquet in regards to identifying our present economic conundrum.

Of course, looking back far enough, Europe had the Black Plague or Black Death that started in about 1340. In the 1930's America experienced the Great Crash, in the 40's of course they had Kristallnacht in the Deutschland and in the 80's we had the Bubble Bursting in Japan and the Silicon Valley.  

I heard "the collapse" mentioned this morning and while effective, I don't feel that it quite captures the stunning magnitude of the moment. Please forward your suggestions for review and approval.