Economics and world history : myths and paradoxes
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Bibliographic Information
Economics and world history : myths and paradoxes
Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993
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Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
We cherish many myths about our histories. Not the least of these myths are those about economic history: such as the roots of depressions, the causes of growth and the reasons behind nations' different stages of economic development. Paul Bairoch sets out in this book to demolish 18 such myths and to reveal generally unnoticed but economically important turning points in modern economic history. The topics covered include the crashes of 1929 and 1987, the Great Depression, the "Golden Era of Free Trade", the role of the Third World's underdevelopment, international trade as an engine of growth, the pre-WW1 depression, the myth of rapid growth in the 19th century, as well as important, but unnoticed, turning points in modern economic history. The book concludes by driving home the message of what economic history can show us: that there is no "law" or rule in economics that is valid for every period of history nor for every economic structure.
Table of Contents
- Part 1 Major myths about the developed world: the 1929 Crash and the Great Depression
- was there a gold era of European Free Trade?
- was there free trade in the "Rest" of the world?
- did protectionism always have a negative impact?. Part 2 Major myths of the Third World role in Western development: were Third World raw materials central to Western industrialisation?
- were colonial outlets crucial to Western industries?
- was colonialism important in triggering the industrial revolution?
- the balance sheet of colonialism. Part 3 Major myths about the third world: was there a large economic gap before modern development?
- a long-term deterioration in the terms of trade
- the more banannas exported, the more grain imported?
- population inflation - the more, the merrier?. Part 4 "Minor" myths and unnoticed turning points: some less imported myths
- unnoticed historical turning points. Conclusions: the paradox of economic history or the absence of absolute economic laws.
by "Nielsen BookData"