history-of-economics Books

Two decades ago, it occurred to me that the history of medieval Europe was singularly fascinating. From a very broad and rough perspective, it seems to me, the "ancient" world and the "modern", with their bureaucratically centralized states and relatively stable geographic configurations, have much more in common with each other than either of them have with the medieval European milieu, with its tangled tapestry of intersecting levels of power (the Church, the aristocracies, the royal dynasties, the towns, the monastic orders) and quixotically shifting political and ethnic borders. In this sense, it is a complicated fulcrum, pivoting civilization from the ancient empire to the modern nation state and world economy, and much of my reading has been an attempt to understand how this transition from ancient to modern worked. I should have started with this book. Reynold's provides an astonishingly complete picture of western Europe from the seventh to the eighteenth centuries, from the evolution of its basic geographic and ethnographic constraints and opportunities, to the transformations of power, technology and wealth that convulsed its patchwork of societies. In addition, he attempts a somewhat lower resolution, but just as ambitious inventory of conditions of the rest of the planet as it stood during Europe's breakout to transoceanic hegemony. Written forty years ago, it is striking to see just how nearly up-to-date he is on so many details of world history. Even more masterful is that he manages all this precocious breadth and accuracy in a work clearly directed to undergrads with little knowledge of history (there are no footnotes or references, centuries are referred to as, e.g., the "fifteen hundreds" rather than the "sixteenth century", etc.). Indeed, the writing style is breezy--almost conversational--and very often humorous. Eschewing theory for description, Reynolds nonetheless makes clear the various connections among phenomena such as trade fairs, the growth of towns, the spread of literacy, the power of the church--and a host of others. Unapologetically "eurocentric" (the subject, after all, is Europe), his treatment of non-European spheres is tantalizingly cursory and directed purely towards how they hindered or accommodated European expansion. In view of this, I was nevertheless struck by how closely his treatment of the rest of the world resembled other, much more recent, works explicitly designed as curatives to eurocentric approaches (such as Eric Wolf's brilliant "Europe and the People Without History"). If you are striving to grasp the "big picture" of medieval and early modern Europe, this book, despite its age, is an absolute--and immediate--requirement.

Now in a fully revised new edition, Europe Inc. examines the ways in which major industrial corporations have gained so much power as lobbyists within the European Union that they pose a threat to democracy itself. From the factors that have promoted the domination of corporate influence, to how that influence has pressured governments to privatize public services, deregulate industry, and remove social and environmental protections, to the roughshod treatment of small business, organized labor, and individual citizens, and much more, Europe Inc. is a devastating wake up call. Highly recommended.

Europe Recast: A History Of European Union is the true saga of people's attempts to bring together the will of Europe as a whole, from the first struggling attempts at economic integration to the formation of the European Union. The writing style is scholarly without being overly pedantic, and detailed without losing its central themes in a morass of trivia. A straightfoward, scholarly history, examining events, motives, philosophies, and results, Europe Recast is highly recommended for students, scholars, researchers, and government policy makers.

John Pinder is a major authority in the literature of the European Union and its evolution from the European Coal and Steel Community. Pinder, traces the history of Western Europe after the Second World War. He describes the accounts of the Europeans as they deal with post war life and the zealousness of creating an institution that would becaome the European union of today. From the small roots of the ECSC to the expansion into the social aspects of life to poltical expasnion and to geographical exspanion, Pinder gives detailed expalations. I highly recommend this book.

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. The goal of Edward Tabor Linenthal's book was to examine the ever-changing cultural aspect of America's five battle sites, which span the nation's history and geography. Linenthal so adequately pointed out in his book, that the historic sites at Lexington and Concord, the Alamo, Gettysburg, the Little Bighorn, and Pearl Harbor are not just physical reminders of America's heritage, but have provided "mythic" physical spaces of sentimentality, patriotism, and reverence for those who gave their lives for their country. In addition, with each site Linenthal expertly explained the historical reason for the enshrinement of a battle area, the history behind the monuments placed on the sites, and the patriotic speeches, as well as the protests and controversies regarding interpretations of the significance that the five sites have held for Americans. Thus Linenthal ably argued his thesis, that over time American's themselves have often had a visceral connection to these five monuments, which has caused the National Park Service (NPS), the custodians of these monuments, to either broaden or reinterpret various aspects of the "mythic cannon" enshrined at these sites.

Linenthal aptly described how the powerful symbols from some of these monuments have entered the American lexicon, both in word and visually. For example, the "Minuteman" monument on Lexington Green has long served as an American symbol in both words and pictures as a testament to Americans' willingness to come to the defense of their country in times of crisis and at a moments notice. "Both the nobility of their character and the decisiveness of their deeds made the minutemen popular cultural models for succeeding generations" (21). In addition, the U.S.S. Arizona monument has been used by veteran groups, as well as politicians, as a symbolic metaphor to argue that America must remain militarily strong and vigilant lest it be caught off guard and become easy prey for attack. Linenthal also drew attention in his book to the multicultural and societal tensions that had been created with the enshrinements of the Alamo and Little Big Horn monuments. In fact, the palpable outrage of Amerindians since the 1970's over the enshrinement and hero worship of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer at the battlefield, only reinforced their concerns that the monument was"...symbolic of white racism and genocidal expansionism" (141). The sensitivity to Amerindian concerns has caused the NPS to make more changes to that battle monument then any other in their custody, including changing the name from the Custer National Battlefield to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Thus, Linenthal's notice of the multicultural issues that Americans and their government have wrestled with in order to provide ways to produce a multi-faceted interpretation of historical events at some of America's battle monuments makes Sacred Ground an interesting read.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in American history.

Aldcroft produces a comprehensive, detailed account of the European Economy, which is in tune with his status as one of the leading Economic Historians of modern times. This book is aimed at the undergraduate and post-graduate students of this era.
Immmensely detailed and statistical, Aldcroft provides expert explanation and theory to events. Also included is a full and detailed Bibliography for further reading and research.

William MacLure is usually considered the "father of American geology" but he was far more. He was also one of the founders of the utopian community of New Harmony, Indiana and its Working Men's Library (the city and library are well worth visiting).

His European journals contain his views on politics, history, geology, sociology, ethnology, etc., in a most candid and, often, humorous style. MacLure is an almost forgotten American figure who is brought to life by Doskey's superb and vigorous editing.

From back cover:

"'The European Union: Economics, Policies and History is designed to appeal to a broad range of people studying the European Union. By using a combination of economics, politics and history the author is able to give the reader a strong grounding in European integration and why and how policies are put in place.

Table of Contents:

1 - Intro to European Integration
2 - Brief History of European Integration
3 - Decision-Making Institutions of the European Union
4 - Basic Instruments: The Theory of Trade and the EU
5 - The Economics of Integration
6 - From the Single Market to the 'New Europe'
7 - Movement of Labor, Immigration and Asylum
8 - The Long Road to Economic and Monetary Union
9 - The EU Budget
10 - The Common Agricultural Policy
11 - Fisheries Policy
12 - Environmental and Energy Policies
13 - Regional Policy
14 - Social and Employment Policies
15 - Competition and Industrial Polcies
16 - Transport Policy
17 - The EU and the GATT/WTO
18 - EU Trade and Aid Policies
19 - The Common Foreign and Security Policy
20 - EU Enlargement

Beginning with "Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water" in 1986, many books have been written detailing various blood-boiling aspects of the gross mismanagement of the world's water resources. Most were written as polemics, and justifiably so.

Here in "Every Drop for Sale", author Jeffrey Rothfeder treats the subject using more temperate language. But, given the facts, the reader's reaction is still likely to be one of outrage. It is testament to the author's skill that he is able to raise the alarm while remaining objective and clear-sighted about both progress and possible solutions.

The book ranges widely over the effects of the proliferation of dams, diversions, reservoirs, irrigation projects, privatizations, and subsidizations. As Rothfeder guides us through Rapid City (Iowa), the Narmada River in India, the ill-fated village of Cochabamba in Bolivia, and many other water mismanagement sites, he proves to be an effective and moving chronicler. The power of his book lies in his ability to combine a big picture view with attention to the lives of the powerless who happen to be downstream from some megalomaniac water project.

Cochabamba proves to be both the most arresting and yet ironically one of the more promising of Rothfeder's accounts. Townspeople were first subjected to the loss of their major industry, tin mining. That loss of local revenue then led to the deterioration of their water distribution system. The Bolivian government tried to rescue the situation by privatizing the town's water management out to Bechtel, which promptly raised water fees. Something approaching civil war resulted. Instead of simply bemoaning the path taken, Rothfeder sees in the eventual outcome (after destruction, arrests, and deaths, the government cancelled its deal with Bechtel) both a salutary object lesson and a hope that, with a newly recognized need for safeguards, privatization can in fact be a critical part of addressing the world's accelerating water crisis.

Giving validity to this optimistic outlook, the author concludes that same chapter with a look at how the Blair government turned the UK's privatization efforts, begun disastrously under Margaret Thatcher, into a successful model for the rest for the world. (He characterizes that program as one "strictly overseeing the free water market, while leaving it sufficiently unrestricted that profit incentives will motivate private corporations".) This juxtaposition of stories is characteristic of the book's effective pivot around both problems and ideas for resolution.

Rothfeder argues that the commoditization of water and its corollary, the privatization of water management, are not only inevitable but also that they can be turned to advantage. This is debatable; but he puts forward a compelling case for his belief that both are so.

The standard author's blurb describes Rothfeder as an author and "consulting editor". In the course of the book, he reveals that he came to his water sensitivity while touring as a rock musician. We're fortunate that his itinerary took him to Rapid City. The book is not lengthy, but feels comprehensive, well-informed, and persuasive. We need works like "Cadillac Desert" to fire our indignation at how we got into this fix, but we need "Every Drop for Sale" to remind us that all is not yet lost.

The photos in this book are wonderful. Mr. Cecil weaves a thorough and complete history of the bourbon industry in the only place in the world bourbon is made - Kentucky.