The Balkan Economies c. 1800-1914 is a strongly revisionist book that compares the economic progress of Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia in the century before World War One. Native language primary sources are used to argue that these territories probably experienced economic decline rather than growth, at least from the mid-nineteenth century. But far from hindering development, Ottoman rule made possible more progress than successive governments. This in-depth study promises to be the definitive economic history of the Balkans.

In the first major study in English of Spanish agrarian history, James Simpson examines how traditional agriculture responded to population growth and the integration of commodity markets. He argues that decisive changes in farming techniques only occurred at the start of this century; development was then interrupted by the Spanish Civil War and subsequent short-sighted government policies, only resuming in the 1950s. This comprehensive study will be of relevance to historical geography and agrarian history, as well as economic history.

This book examines the growth of the world silk industry. Professor Federico documents Western industrialization, the technical progress and the changing methods of production that enabled the silk industry to cope with increased demand. Silk became the first Japanese success story on the world market, with Italy retaining a sizeable share until labor was diverted as a result of its industrialization. Japanese industrialization also led its silk industry to a similar fate after the Second World War.

This innovative work in comparative urban history explores why outstanding achievements in material and intellectual culture in early modern Europe tended to cluster in certain maritime cities. Patrick O'Brien, his coeditors and eighteen distinguished historians from Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain, and North America, have collaborated to compare economic, architectural, artistic, publishing and scientific achievements in three European cities during their golden ages: Antwerp (c. 1492-1585), Amsterdam (c. 1585-1659) and London (c. 1660-1730). This study offers fascinating insights to...

Ivan Berend uses a vast range of sources, as well as his own personal experience, to analyze the fortunes of the postwar socialist regimes in Eastern Europe. His comparative approach stretches beyond the confines of economic history to produce a work of political economy, encompassing the cultural and personal forces that have influenced the development of the "Eastern Bloc" countries over the past fifty years. The book is distinguished by its unique combination of time, region and topic, and is a major contribution to the economic history of the twentieth century.

This analysis of a crucial transformation in the history of world trade reveals how London and its surroundings grew during the eighteenth century to become the first true entrepot. The city developed a new kind of commercial structure sharply distinct from that of Holland and Amsterdam during the seventeenth century.

In a significant new contribution to economic history, Dr. Magee examines an important British industry that, like many others, declined in relative importance during the period prior to 1914. He compares Britain's performance in papermaking with its main international rivals of the time, America and Germany, addressing such central subjects as technological change, entrepreneurship and productivity. The book will be invaluable to scholars of economic history as well as those simply interested in papermaking.

This major new addition to Cambridge Studies in Modern Economic History analyzes the economic policies of the Attlee Government, incorporating already published literature and much new research. It integrates the politics of economic policy-making with the economic arguments. It stresses the importance of the government's drive for efficiency, and strongly questions the claim that in building a "welfare state" the government neglected production. It is the first comprehensive account of the Attlee government's economic policies.