Cambridge European Economic History (Volume 5) Economic Organizations in Early Modern Europe

Author: (English) Postan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Broadly speaking, Cambridge Economic History of Europe can be divided into three parts:
First, the first three volumes constitute the first part of the book, primarily exploring the transition of Europe's economy from the medieval to the modern era. Specifically, it examines the factors that determined why Europe's economy, rather than others', was the first to complete the shift from an agrarian society to an industrial society, as well as the changes that occurred in different economic sectors during this transition. Among them, the first volume, Medieval Agricultural Life, explores the transformation of agriculture and peasant life; the second volume, Medieval Trade and Industry, examines the channels and transformations of economic ties between different countries within Europe; and the third volume, Medieval Economic Organizations and Economic Policy, analyzes the corresponding shifts and adjustments in economic organization methods and government policies as the scope and focus of economic activities changed. In fact, the very active new institutional economics has established its theoretical framework by reinterpreting the economic transformation of Europe during this period.
Second, the fourth and fifth volumes constitute the second part of the book, focusing on Europe's overseas expansion as a whole in the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as the European Industrial Revolution. The fourth volume, Continuously Expanding European Economy in the 16th and 17th Centuries, primarily analyzes the external environment that facilitated economic growth and development, including population growth, scientific thought and achievements, prices, trade patterns and routes, labor supply, the formation of large-scale companies, and mercantilist theories and policies. The fifth volume, European Economic Organizations in the Early Modern Period, primarily examines the core mechanisms of industrial production, credit mechanisms, international trade mechanisms, and the role of the state as a producer, consumer, and fiscal authority. The author's arrangement of this content reflects the fact that the prominent position of European nations in the modern economy was already established long before industrialization began. Thus, industrialization alone cannot fully explain why European nations dominated the development of the world economy for over three hundred years.
Third, the third part of the book consists of the sixth, seventh, and eighth volumes, primarily studying and analyzing the historical development of Western economies, including the United States and Japan, since the Industrial Revolution. The sixth volume, Industrial Revolution and Economic Development Afterward: Income, Population, and Technological Change, focuses on the external factors that facilitated the Industrial Revolution. The seventh volume, Industrial Economy: Capital, Labor, and Enterprise, primarily analyzes the internal factors of modern industrial economic growth, such as the supply of capital, labor, and entrepreneurial resources, and is mainly organized by country, including Great Britain, France, Germany, Scandinavian countries, the United States, Japan, and Russia. The eighth volume, Industrial Economy: Development of Economic and Social Policies, primarily examines the socioeconomic policies of European nations since the Industrial Revolution and their evolution. Therefore, broadly speaking, these three volumes primarily analyze the foundational conditions of industrialization, growth factors, and changes in government policies.