History of the world economy - Polyak GB

Introductory chapter

An important part of the general and philosophical training of modern specialists - economists is the study of public disciplines, as it contributes to the intellectual development of the individual and the development of creative thinking. One of such disciplines is the history of the world economy. This discipline is designed to form the principles of economic thinking, allows us to see the historical roots of contemporary social and economic problems; Relying on the economic experience accumulated in history, to adequately assess the current economic situation and make the right decisions.

Development of science

The history of economics is interdisciplinary, it originated at the junction of historical and economic sciences. The first works devoted to individual aspects of economic development appeared in the era of the late Middle Ages. So, in 1514 in France was published "Treatise on the Ass" * Guillaume Bude. In the 16th-18th centuries, when bourgeois revolutions were taking place in Europe, the history of finance, trade, agriculture, handicraft production and industrial activity acquired special urgency, which stimulated the development of historical and economic science and contributed to its formation.

Assa is an ancient Roman coin.

U. Petty ("Treatise on Taxes and Fees", 1662), in numerous works of French authors of the 18th century, in the "Study on the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" (1776) by A. Smith , were developed in economic and statistical works . In the XVIII century. In different countries, special studies were carried out on the history of the economy and economic life. Therefore, the 18th century is recognized as the initial stage in the emergence of economic history as a science. With the onset of capitalism, studies of the historical and economic trend have become more regular and thorough. And in the middle of the XIX century. This science was formed into an independent one.

Several factors contributed to the formation of science as an independent science. One of them is the assertion of a historical ( historical -genetic) method in the cognition of economic phenomena and processes. The historical method (principle) in approach to reality as changing in time was recognized by representatives of German classical philosophy, for example, Hegel. Consistently the principle of historicism was developed by K. Marx and F. Engels, applying it to the study of all spheres of objective reality, including nature, society, thinking. In addition, the development of this science was influenced, on the one hand, by the crisis experienced at that time by classical bourgeois political economy, and by the rapid economic progress in Western Europe in the second half of the 19th century.

Great contribution to the development of historical and economic science in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. The Englishmen A. Toynbee and J. Ashley, the Germans K. Bücher, M. Weber, V. Sombart, the Russian MM Kovalevsky and P.G. Vinogradov. German, English and Russian schools received not only European, but also world fame. In the 20-40's of the XX century. The school of "Annals" in France was developing brilliantly. It was headed by M. Block and L. Fevr. In the period after World War II, the school of the "new economic history" was formed in the United States, focusing on the application of quantitative methods and modeling. Its representatives - A. Konrad, J. Meyer, R. Vogel. The most famous historian-economist of the XX century. - French scientist F. Braudel.

In the post-October period, Russian scientists made a significant contribution to the development of this scientific direction. Kulisher, SG Strumilin, PI Lyashchenko, KA Pajitnov, IA Gladkov, F.Ya. Polyansky, P.A. Khromov, VT Chuntulov and others.

As the formation and development of science developed definitions of its subject, formed a conceptual apparatus.

Almost all scientists of the second half of the XIX century. Converged on the fact that under the subject of science was understood the evolution of economic activity of peoples from the primitive epoch to the present. For 150 years of the existence of science several of its names have changed. At the initial stage in England, it was called "Economic History" and under its subject was understood the economic history of individual countries of the world, as a rule, the largest and most developed ("The Economic History of England"). She could study the individual stages of the socioeconomic development of these countries, for example, England in the manufacturing era. Gradually, the scope of the study expanded, whole continents became involved in the orbit of research, there appeared works on the economic history of Europe, the economic history of America, and then the world as a whole, and science became known as the History of the World Economy. In such countries as Germany and Russia, this science existed under three names: the history of economic life, the history of economic life, the history of the national economy.

In the course of the development of science, the conceptual apparatus expanded. Already in the second half of the XIX century. Such concepts as economic evolution, stages of economy, stages of economic development, historical forms of agricultural production, historical forms of industry, economic revolution, etc. were applied.

Economic History in the Education System

The assertion of economic science as an independent has resulted in the inclusion of its teaching in the higher school of different countries. Thus, in 1881-1882 vols. A. Toynbee in Oxford was given a lecture course on economic history. In the same year K. Basher lectured on this discipline at the University of Basel . In Russia for the first time the course on economic history was read by V.F. Levitsky in 1885-1886 in Yaroslavl in the Demidov legal lyceum. In 1889, M. M. Kovalevsky delivered lectures on economic history at the University of Brussels.

At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries. Economic history along with political science, sociology, law took the main place in the curricula of universities in European countries. At the University of London in 1895, the School of Economics and Political Science was established, it was given the status of a specialized college. The first department of economic history was established at the beginning of the 20th century. W. Ashley at the Harvard University of the United States, and in 1910 the same department was opened at Manchester University.

Especially the teaching of economic history in England expanded. Here, interest in economic history has increased not only in the oldest, privileged universities (Oxford and Cambridge, where special departments were opened), but also in many universities in other cities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leicester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Nottingham, etc.).

Economic history is studied in France. In Paris, the Institute for Economic and Social History has a center on the history of the labor market. There is such a center in Lyon.

The teaching of this science in Italy has expanded considerably. If at the beginning of the 1950s, 15 courses were read in economic history in 46 Italian universities, then in the early seventies - 51, and in the early 80s - already 87.

This discipline is taught in the countries of northern Europe, for example, in Sweden, where it was separated into an independent subject since 1948, and in 1955 a special department was established at Uppsala University.

At present, in Western countries, economic history is an obligatory discipline of the curriculum of economic, political, legal and historical education, although in the US, because of the excessive entrainment of econometrics, economic history once again merged into a single discipline with economic theory.

In our country, the history of the world economy (economic history, the history of the national economy) is taught at economic faculties of universities, at economic universities, at economic faculties of 72 technical universities, where it is read as a complex discipline "Economic History and Economic Concepts."

The Department of the History of National Economy and Economic Studies was established in Moscow State University in 1947.

Subject of economic history

So what does the history of the world economy study? The subject of its study is the economic life of different countries in different historical epochs, i.e. In its historical evolution (from the primitive communal system to the present).

Economic life is diverse, so economic history is a multilevel science. The structural levels of science are:

• the evolution of production methods;

• history of economic mechanisms;

• history of branches of national economy;

• history of individual economic processes (urbanization, industrial revolution, integration, etc.);

• history of economic institutions (taxes, prices, credit, etc.).

Thus, the history of the economy can study the economy as a whole, or maybe some of its parts (for example, the history of industry, the history of agriculture, the history of transport, etc., that is, the history of specific economies). She can study the history of functional economies. Its types and forms of economy, their social and organizational structure, forms of foreign economic relations, the economic policy of the state, shifts in the allocation of productive forces, etc., enter into its subject matter.

The history of the world economy is closely connected with other social and economic disciplines, in the system of economic sciences it is, along with economic theory and the history of economic thought, fundamental. The fundamental nature of economic history is due to the fact that it provides economic theory with factual material about the economic development of mankind, and the laws and categories derived by economic theory largely depend on the quality, quantity and completeness of the primary general economic information base.

Economic history is closely connected with specific branch economic sciences, such as the economy of industry, the economy of agriculture, the economy of transport, etc., as well as with functional sciences.

In addition to the circle of economic disciplines, the history of the world economy is closely connected with all historical disciplines: civil history, general history, history of culture, language history, military history, etc.

Since this science studies the economic life of different countries and continents, it is closely related to geographical sciences, demographic science and many other social disciplines (sociology, political science, psychology, etc.).