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History of the world economy - Polyak GB

Functions of economic history

In the system of social studies in general, economic history performs a number of important, socially significant functions.

The first function is accumulating, which consists in collecting, studying and generalizing the economic experience of mankind. Without knowledge of this experience, it is not possible to identify the laws of the economic development of human society, to develop scientifically sound economic policies and to avoid subjective decisions. It is recognized that economic history plays the role of professional memory of economic personnel.

The second function is propaedeutic (preparatory), which consists in the fact that on the basis of concrete facts and examples from the history of the world economy (national economy) the content of basic economic terms (productive forces, production relations, production methods, property, economic mechanism, forms of economy, forms Organization of production, exchange, distribution, consumption), and so on.

The third function is ideological, which consists in the formation, by economic history , of a scientific picture of the world process of the economic evolution of mankind, showing a continuous change in the forms of ownership, economic mechanisms, forms of production, management, social structure of society, etc., and their differences in countries, regions, Epochs, the history of the national economy instills in economic thinking such important characteristics as historicism, scale, understanding of the multivariate development.

The fourth function is the formation of the realism of economic thinking. This is possible because the history of the national economy studies, analyzes not only the positive experience of the economic development of countries and peoples, but also mistakes, miscalculations and insolvency of the economic policies of states, which have led to a deterioration in the people's standard of living, stagnation and a slowdown in economic growth and, in the final analysis, a lag This or that country at a certain historical stage.

The fifth function is the methodological, carried out by the history of the national economy for economic theory, consisting in:

• Illustrative role - examples from economic history confirm the effect of laws derived by economic theory;

• Critical role - economic history verifies the scientific, truthfulness of political and economic analysis; Facts and materials from economic history determine the chronological limits of the operation of certain economic laws;
• the function of scientific justification of new economic theories - the derivation of "universal laws of economic development" without a historical method is impossible (here it is fundamental).

Such an understanding of the extremely important role of historical and economic knowledge, not limited only to the illustrative function, is characteristic of the views of the most prominent scientists. Thus, A. Toynbee, the author of the book Industrial Revolution in England in the 18th Century, wrote that historical and economic science can serve as a philosophy of economic development. And John Neville Keynes in the book "Subject and Method of Political Economy" (1891) devoted a special chapter to the relationship of political economy with economic history. It was in this work that he singled out the three main functions of this science:

• historical illustration of economic theories;

• historical criticism (ie, historical verification) of economic theories;

• historical substantiation of new economic theories *.

* Cit: Origins. Issue. 1. Questions of the history of the national economy and economic thought. - Moscow: Economics, 1989. - P.34.

Conclusions JN. Keynes about the three main functions of economic history were accepted by scientists of England, the United States, British dominions, which undoubtedly influenced the pace and degree of development of science in these countries in the 20th century.

Methodology of science and history of the world economy

The method means a method of investigation, it is intended to show how cognition occurs, on what methodological basis, on what scientific principles. The method is the way of research, the way of building and substantiating knowledge. Now there are two main approaches to historical thought that emerged more than two millennia ago: this is an idealistic and materialistic understanding of history.

The idealistic concept boils down to recognizing the primacy of the spirit and consciousness, which are more important than matter and nature. It follows that the pace and character of historical and economic development is determined by the human soul and mind, and such processes as economic development are secondary, derived from the spirit. Representatives of the idealistic trend believe that the basis of historical and economic processes is the spiritual moral improvement of people, and human society develops the person himself, while human abilities are given by God.

The materialist conception recognizes the material life as primary in relation to the consciousness of people, believing that all spiritual development and other relations between people are determined precisely by economic structures.

For Western historical science the idealistic point of view is more characteristic, for the domestic science - materialistic. Modern historical and economic science is based on a dialectic-materialistic method that regards socio-economic development as a natural historical process, which is determined by objective laws. At the same time, this method does not negate the influence of the subjective factor - the activities of the masses, classes, political parties, leaders, leaders, religion, national characteristics.

In historical and economic science special historical methods of research are used, including:

• chronological - presentation of historical and economic material in chronological order;

• synchronous - provides for a simultaneous study of historical and economic events taking place in the economic life of countries and continents;

• dichronous - periodization method;

• historical modeling.

Methods of historical and economic analysis

The system of cognitive methods applied by this science is associated with the use of a methodological arsenal, a categorical apparatus, the basic theoretical constructions of historical and economic knowledge, and reflects their interaction.

The methods used in historical and economic research are divided into traditional and newest.

The system of traditional methods includes:

1) historical (historical-genetic) method. It is based on a consistent analysis of the facts and processes of genesis and evolution of objects studied by science (the methods of production and their sides, individual countries and regions, the branches of the national economy, economic processes and phenomena, etc.). This method provides concreteness in describing the reality under investigation and allows us to disclose the cause-effect relationships between the phenomena;

2) system-structural method - the study of the whole and its various parts as an interconnected system. Each system has its own structure, a certain structure and functions. In this case, the system as a whole has properties qualitatively different from the properties of its individual constituent elements. This method is very effective and is becoming more widespread in historical and economic research;

3) the historical-comparative method is based on comparing objects of historical and economic analysis in time and space. Thanks to this method, the economic, general, special and individual are distinguished; Ways, variants and models of the development of modes of production, of individual countries, phenomena, thanks to which the construction of classification and typology of historical and economic processes are possible;

4) the historical-typological method is based on the identification of homogeneous properties and features in various phenomena and events of economic life. Thanks to this method, it is possible to single out in the set of objects under study those that are of the same type in terms of essential characteristics;

5) statistical methods are used in the history of the world economy to receive, process, select and analyze historical and statistical information, ensuring the objectivity of historical and economic research.

The newest methods include:

1) Quantitative (mathematical) methods. They are used to study patterns, trends, factors of historical and economic development, typological classifications of phenomena and processes, and analysis of intrasystem and intersystem relationships. The use of quantitative methods is based on the compilation of a system of numerical characteristics of the objects under study, the processing of these indicators by mathematical methods (grouping, alignment of dynamic series, dispersion, correlation, regression, factor analysis, etc.). Quantitative methods are effective for studying mass sources containing both quantitatively expressed and narrative information. In this case, special techniques are used to translate textual information into a formalized one.

The advantage of quantitative methods is their objectivity and the possibility of obtaining information that is fundamentally new in comparison with other methods of research;

2) the methods of sociological research and social psychology, which have special significance for the analysis of historical and economic situations, since the masses have a direct influence on the course of historical and economic processes.

Principles of cognition

The system of methods of cognition used by historical and economic science includes:

1) the principle of objectivity of historical and economic knowledge based on real facts, processes and phenomena recorded in relevant historical and economic sources;

2) the principle of materialistic understanding, that is, the primacy of economic content in determining the essence, nature and direction of the historical process;

3) the principle of the value orientation of historical and economic knowledge, that is, the ability to see, understand and evaluate the vector (progress, stagnation, regression) of the economic development of society at one stage or another, to reveal the degree of economic freedom of individuals, Social groups, classes, a particular society as a whole;

4) the class approach is one of the elements of value orientation, which makes it possible to assess the extent to which economic interests of various classes and social groups are realized, and to assess the economic policy of the state at a certain stage of its development.