Managing the Wealth of Nations
Political Economies of Change in Preindustrial Europe
By Philipp Robinson Rössner
Published
Feb 1, 2023Page count
296 pagesISBN
978-1529211221Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Feb 1, 2023Page count
296 pagesISBN
978-1529211245Dimensions
Imprint
Bristol University Press
Managing the Wealth of Nations
"Commerce and manufactures gradually introduced order and good government,” wrote Adam Smith in his Wealth of Nations, “and with them, the liberty and security of individuals.” However, Philipp Rössner shows how, when looked at in the face of history, it has usually been the other way around.
This book follows the development of capitalism from the Middle Ages through the industrial revolution to modern day, casting new light on the areas where pre-modern political economies of growth and development made a difference. It shows how order and governance provided the foundation for prosperity, growth and the wealth of nations.
Written for scholars and students of economic history, this is a pioneering new study that debunks the neoliberal origin myth of how capitalism came into the world.
Philipp Robinson Rössner is Professor of Early Modern History at The University of Manchester.
Part 1 ~ The Discovery of Dynamics
Managing the Future, Thinking About Growth: Discoveries of the Future and the Making of a Capitalist Mind, 1300s-2000s
Mercantilism, Capitalism and the Making of the Modern Economic Mind
Part 2 ~ Markets
Governing Markets: The Role of States in the Process of Economic Growth, 1250s-2000s
Configuring Markets: A Deeper History of Laissez-Faire, 1250s-1945
Part 3 ~ Money
Money and the Rise of Modern Capitalism, 1350–1850
Velocity! Money, Circulation and the Political Economy of Daily Life, 1350–1850
Part 4 ~ Manufacturing
Origins of Creativity: Lessons From History
Manufacturing Wealth: Industrial Policy, the Good Life and the Rise of the European Economy, 1350–1850s
Conclusion
