The course is designed to introduce students not only to a wide variety of topics and issues, but also to the wide variety of approaches used by historians. The course includes analyses of the original leading nation, Britain, and its replacement, the United States, as well as the catch-up of areas such as continental Europe, and the failure to catch-up of earlier well-placed areas such as Latin America. The effects of major events - such as wars and debt crises - are investigated, and we also consider the implications of changing global economic institutions, such as the Gold Standard and IMF, as well as the effects of sometimes rapid changes in product and process technology.
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This course will examine key topics in North American economic development from Colonial Times to the end of the second World War. The topics include migration and settlement, trade and innovation, agricultural development, slavery and its legacy, and the position of North America in the international economy.
Most of the research we will read is quantitative, and written by economists. The course is therefore particularly suited to students with a strong background in economics. You will also need a familiarity with econometrics, or at least a willingness to become familiar with econometrics.
This course is not available to General Course students.
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This course covers international Monetary and Financial History since the mid-18th century. It is a follow-up on EH203, European Financial History 800-1750. The course is designed to introduce students to the key issues around globalised finance and money. It will look into the rise and eventual demise of the Gold Standard, the emergence and occurrence of financial crises, the globalisation and geography of financial markets, and changes in policy responses and regulation over time.
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The economic resurgence of South Asia in the last twenty years has revived interest in the history of the region. It has also led to a fresh look at theories of comparative history. Not long ago, economic historians used to ask why India ‘failed’ as a developing nation. Their answers looked at the legacy of colonialism or the legacy of culture. Today, rapid economic growth in the region renders such questions obsolete. We need to ask instead, what were the legacies of the past that could explain the dramatic growth rates in the region; and does the past explain why growth co-exists with poverty? The course will seek answers to these questions.
The course introduces the basic facts and major debates in the economic history of modern South Asia. It considers the legacies of empires and developmental states, globalizations of the past and the present times, and the role of indigenous institutions and resource endowments.
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