By Kerryn Higgs from Quartz: The notion of human beings as consumers first took shape before World War I, but became commonplace in America in the 1920s. Consumption is now frequently seen as our principal role in the world. People,… Read More ›
Economic History
The Roman Empire and Inflation
From Dailyhistory.org In the modern world, nation-states, empires, and civilizations are often compared to and judged by the perceived success of the Roman culture. There is no doubt that Roman culture was successful and enduring, which has contributed to make… Read More ›
How Did Enlightenment Ideas Influence Modern Economics?
The Enlightenment was a period in world history that roughly corresponds with the eighteenth century, originating in the nations of Britain, France, and the German-speaking kingdoms and then spreading to the rest of Europe and the European colonies. It was… Read More ›
Did Midas Really Have the Golden Touch?
Most people today are somewhat familiar with the legend of King Midas and that he was said to have the “golden touch.” The legend has been turned into a familiar pop culture meme seen on cartoons and even adopted by… Read More ›
What Were the Financial Benefits of the Crusades?
Of all the events, inventions, and personalities that defined the European Middle Ages, none did more so than the Crusades. Beginning in the late eleventh century, the many kingdoms of western Europe awoke from their collective slumber to assert their… Read More ›
How did the Bubonic Plague make the Italian Renaissance possible?
The Black Death (1347-1350) was a pandemic that devastated the populations of Europe and Asia. The plague was an unprecedented human tragedy in Italy. It not only shook Italian society, but transformed it. The Black Death marked an end of… Read More ›
What Role Did Inflation Play in the Collapse of the Roman Empire
In the modern world, nation-states, empires, and civilizations are often compared to and judged by the perceived success of Roman culture. There is no doubt that Roman culture was successful and enduring, which has contributed to make Rome the “gold… Read More ›
The Conspiracy of Free Trade: Interview with Marc-William Palen
Marc-William Palen’s new book The “Conspiracy” of Free Trade: The Anglo-American Struggle over Empire and Economic Globalisation, 1846-1896 is relevant not only to historians of imperialism, capitalism, and economics, but to the 2016 American presidential primary election. Once again, free trade has… Read More ›
Empire by Imitation?
From Imperial & Global Forum by Marc-William Palen: Historians have been busy chipping away at the myth of the exceptional American Empire, usually with an eye towards the British Empire. Most comparative studies of the two empires, however, focus on… Read More ›
‘Trade wars are good’? 3 past conflicts tell a very different story
From Imperial & Global Forum by Marc-William Palen author of The Conspiracy of Free Trade President Donald Trump renewed fears of a global trade war after he vowed to slap steep tariffs on foreign aluminum and steel. The tariffs haven’t even been… Read More ›