Economics and World History: Myths and Paradoxes 1st Edition

by Paul Bairoch (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0226034638

ISBN-10: 0226034631

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Paul Bairoch sets the record straight on twenty commonly held myths about economic history. Among these are that free trade and population growth have historically led to periods of economic growth; that a move away from free trade caused the Great Depression; and that colonial powers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became rich through the exploitation of the Third World. Bairoch argues that these beliefs are based on insufficient knowledge and misguided interpretations of the economic history of the United States, Europe, and the Third World.

"A challenging and readable introduction to some major controversial themes in modern international economic history."—Peter J. Cain, International History Review

"Paul Bairoch sheds fascinating light on many of the accepted truths of modern economic history: an intriguing account, well executed."—Alfred L. Malabre, Jr., Economics Editor, Wall Street Journal

Economics and World History: Myths and Paradoxes

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Editorial Reviews

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Paul Bairoch deflates twenty commonly held myths about economic history. Among these myths are that free trade and population growth have historically led to periods of economic growth, and that colonial powers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries became rich through the exploitation of the Third World. Bairoch shows that these beliefs are based on insufficient knowledge and wrong interpretations of the history of economies of the United States, Europe, and the Third World, and he re-examines the facts to set the record straight. Bairoch argues that until the early 1960s, the history of international trade of the developed countries was almost entirely one of protectionism rather than a "Golden Era" of free trade, and he reveals that, in fact, past periods of economic growth in the Western World correlated strongly with protectionist policy. He also demonstrates that developed countries did not exploit the Third World for raw materials during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as some economists and many politicians have held. Among the many other myths that Bairoch debunks are beliefs about whether colonization triggered the Industrial Revolution, the effects of the economic development of the West on the Third World, and beliefs about the 1929 crash and the Great Depression. Bairoch's lucid prose makes the book equally accessible to economists of every stripe, as well as to historians, political scientists, and other social scientists.

Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 1 edition (September 1, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0226034631
ISBN-13: 978-0226034638
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,341,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3110 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Economic History
- #8132 in Books > Textbooks > Business & Finance > Economics
- #22882 in Books > Business & Money > Economics

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Useful overview of economic history

ByM. A. Krulon October 14, 2006

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Paul Bairoch's "Economics and World History" aims to dispel many common myths about, well, economics and history. Although he addresses a multitude of different specific subjects and examples (like sugar trade and coal vs. oil), he focuses mainly on a few important issues that he impresses on the reader:

- Free trade is historically the exception, not the norm;

- Free trade does not lead to more growth for most nations;

- The 19th century had a much slower growth rate than the 20th, overall;

- Agricultural production in the Third World is more costly than in the First; and

- European colonialism was largely not profitable.

Bairoch does not pay much attention to showing whether these things really are common myths or not, but even if they aren't, it is still useful to have an overview of historical evidence regarding these subjects, especially considering the political consequences of some. And this he does very well: though the discussion of some more controversial claims is really too short to be entirely convincing, he clearly has done a great amount of research on the economic history of mainly the 19th and 18th centuries, and his discussion of the literature is clear and concise.

Overall he seems to prove his case in most, if not all, cases and particularly case for protectionism in underdeveloped nations, which he clearly supports. A good addition to economic and historical bookshelves.

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Excellent Evaluation of Free Trade and Protectionism

ByJon Thomason March 8, 2009

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If you are interested finding good counter arguments to our omnipresent free trade movement salesmen, this might be the book for you. The book is very concise, less than 200 pages, but makes an excellent presentation of highly pertinent economic facts to counteract some of our most persistent economic myths.

The author makes the argument that free trade is not the universal solution for a lack of economic development. Effectively, the US was a protectionist country from it's earliest founding until WWII. It was only after the war that we turned enthusiastically to free trade. As well we should have, considering that Western Europe's and Japan's industry lay in ruins. It made total sense and the US made the most of it. 25 years later, though, the US slipped into a trade deficit with the rest of the world from which it has never emerged.

The author points out that the surest way to prosperity is through industrialization. Exporting primary products (e.g., coffee, wheat, cotton, bananas, etc.) is not a bad economic policy and highly appropriate for given countries. But you cannot leave industrialization out of the equation for increasing national prosperity. De-industrialization, as he points out, is a sure road to economic ruin. He uses the example of Latin America in the 19th century as his case study--the book was published in the early '90's. If he were writing a new edition today, I believe he would probably use the U.S.'s de-industrialization in the late 20th and early 21rst centuries as a sure road to ruin case study.

However, he's not an ideologue on the subject. Sometimes free trade is the entirely appropriate policy of a nation. However, more often than not it appears that protectionism is entirely warranted. His statistics seem to support that latter view more strongly.

He also covers the argument that the Western world largely depended upon the colonial world for its development. The exploitation of the southern countries was necessary for the northern countries to arise. He points out that the US in particular, as well as western Europe, were almost entirely self-sufficient in raw materials and foodstuffs well into the middle of the 20th century, the exploitation argument is a bit hard to sustain. He also points out that Smoot-Hawley, contrary to popular business rhetoric, did not cause the US depression of the 30's, but was, instead, the result of it. He makes that case very strongly.

This is an excellent book. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in the free trade/protectionism debate read it. It will dispel many myths. Besides being concise, it is well-written and quite readable. You might find the statistics a bit slow going, but they are presented in a very understandable fashion.

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Makes me think!

ByVictor Raffon October 15, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Really great book, which makes me think about so many beliefs, which could be false assumptions. This book is a must for everybody with critical view on economic history, for people, which prefer analysis to authority opinions.

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Crisp and Incisive

ByS. K. Purseyon October 18, 2005

Format: Paperback

Bairoch's book is a classic and despite its fairly technical subject easy to read.

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