A Study of the Nature and Causes of National Wealth, Volume 2

Author: Adam Smith (UK)
Translator: Guo Dali / Country: UK
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-11-01
Features: Adam Smith, a renowned British bourgeois economist, is the author of this representative work, The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776. At that time, it was the period of growth for British capitalism, and British handicraft manufacturing was beginning to transition to large-scale industry. The development of British industry was still largely constrained by the remnants of feudalism and the restrictive policies of mercantilism, which were popular at the time. The young British bourgeoisie, eager to remove obstacles from its path, urgently demanded a free economic theory system to pave the way for its advancement. Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations emerged during this historical period, tasked with this class-specific historical mission. The book summarized the experiences of capitalist development in various countries during the early modern period and, based on a critical and selective absorption of important economic theories at the time, provided a systematic and clear description of the entire process of national economic movement. After its publication, the book not only directly promoted the development of British capitalism but also had a more extensive impact on the development of world capitalism than any other bourgeois economic work of its kind. It is no wonder that some bourgeois scholars at the time revered it as a treasure. However, history soon revealed its limitations and flaws.