Philipp Robinson Rössner

‘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 Robinson 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 the modern day, casting new light on the areas where premodern 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.

Political Economies of Change in Preindustrial Europe

Managing the Wealth of Nations

This book hinges upon ideas and discourses variously known under labels such as “Mercantilism” and “Cameralism”. Often viewed as antithesis of capitalism, inclusive institutions and good economy in the “West”, this book re-assembles them and builds them into a coherent origin story of modern capitalism. It explores the field of intellectual and conceptual history, especially the history of Renaissance and Mercantilism in a longer history of capitalism. Rather than hindrances, the author argues that Mercantilist and Cameralist political economies presented essential stepping stones of modern capitalism, in Britain and beyond. This book will be of interest to academics and students in general economic history, the history of capitalism, economic development and the history of economic thought.

Mercantilism and the Making of the Modern Economic Mind

Freedom and Capitalism in Early Modern Europe

Catherine Casson

This ambitious collection follows the evolution of capitalism from its origins in 13th-century European towns to its 16th-century expansion into Asia, Africa and South America and on to the global capitalism of modern day. Written by distinguished historians and social scientists, the chapters examine capitalism and its critics and the level of variation and convergence in its operation across locations. The authors illuminate the aspects of capitalism that have encouraged, but also limited, social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Covering times, places and topics that have often been overlooked in the existing literature, this important contribution to the field of economic history charts the most comprehensive chronology of capitalism to date.

Historical Perspectives, 1250 - 1950

Evolutions of Capitalism

Markus A. Denzel

Jan De Vries

Interlopers played a significant role in pre-modern world trade. The eighteenth century was a case in point; re-exports of colonial goods such as tobacco, sugar, tea and coffee increased dramatically after 1740. Originally dominated by the Dutch, these activities were increasingly taken over by the English after 1720 - at least, according to the textbooks. But what about the smaller players on the world trade scene? It can be shown that during the eighteenth century interloper nations such as Scotland, Denmark-Norway and Sweden effectively carved themselves out a piece of the action. This pattern was not limited to the Atlantic economy; but could be found on the continent as well. The essays in the present volume provide a wide range of case studies addressing such topics as the macro-economic, social, institutional and political circumstances behind interloping in the pre-industrial period.

Interlopers and Smaller Trading Nations in the Pre-industrial Period : Proceedings of the XVth World Economic History Congress in Utrecht (Netherlands) 2009

Philipp Robinson Rössner

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