The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison (Studies in Macroeconomic History) [Paperback]

Mark Harrison (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 26, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0521785030 | ISBN-13: 978-0521785037

This book, the result of an international collaborative project, provides a new quantitative view of the wartime economic experiences of six great powers: the UK, the United States, Germany, Italy, Japan and the USSR. A chapter is devoted to each country, while the introductory chapter presents a comparative overview. It aims to provide a text of statistical reference for those interested in international and comparative economic history, the history of World War II, the history of economic policy, and comparative economic systems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Harrison has put together an extremely useful book on comparative economic history. The six essays are all very well done, and all conclude with sections outlining the impact of the war on post-war growth. This book adds to our understanding of war economics and the shape of the world economy in the second half of the twentieth century." Geofrey Mills, EH.NET

Book Description

This book, the result of an international collaborative project, provides a new quantitative view of the wartime economic experiences of six great powers: the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, Japan and the USSR. A chapter is devoted to each country, while the introductory chapter presents a comparative overview. It aims to provide a text of statistical reference for those interested in international and comparative economic history, the history of World War II, the history of economic policy, and comparative economic systems.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 26, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521785030
• ISBN-13: 978-0521785037
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #799,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars macroeconomic overview of major combatants, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison (Studies in Macroeconomic History) (Hardcover)

This book is a very learned overview of the macro-economic factors affecting the WWII war economies of major combatants. A certain degree of acquaintance with economic monetary theory is advisable. The fact that it includes all the major players is valuable (any article on Italy's war efforts is always welcome!), but the emphasis some of the articles give to econometric treatment is, frankly, irrelevant to understanding most of the war effort, especially when one is talking of survival. The book also tries to analyse how wartime experience helped shape the post war economy, a field in which it it quite successful. It is worth noting, by the way, that generally speaking all the authors seem to agree that wartime investment in capital formation and technical training schemes paid off for the vanquished, whilst in the case of the USSR, the amount of war destruction and the political predominance of the "industrial-military complex" led, ultimately, to economic stagnation.

Advisable for anyone with a serious interest in wartime economics.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too technical, September 13, 2008

By 

S. J. Moore (Christchurch, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Economics of World War II: Six Great Powers in International Comparison (Studies in Macroeconomic History) (Paperback)

This books sets out to compare development of the wartime economies of the six major antagonists of World War Two; the USA, USSR and United Kingdom for the Allies and Germany, Italy and Japan for the Axis.

The detail provided for each country is vastly different. The quality of raw data available to each chapter's author was obviously variable but the editor could have done much more to align the data and presentation.

The book is too technical for a non-economist reader, with little explanation of the tables of economic data it contains. The standard of English in some chapters is also quite poor.

Despite the book's best efforts, there remains a gap in the market for a readily digestible presentation of the economic aspects of World War II.