From Adam Smith and the Industrial Revolution to Wall Street and multinational corporations, capitalism has long been one of the world's leading economic systems. This work traces the evolution of capitalism from its roots in medieval Europe's rigid economy, through the laissez-faire abuses of the 19th century, to its contemporary form as shaped by competition with socialism. Covering the period from 1450 to 1998, Larry Allen examines significant laws, government policies, treaties, events, concepts, and people. Entries include the British General Strike of 1926, the Corn Laws, Factory Acts, the Great Depression, International Monetary Fund, the Labour Party, the Privatization Revolution, Refuedalization, and the Welfare State. Written clearly for the general reader, each entry gives historical facts and social context, not only defining the term itself, but clarifying and describing how it influenced and shaped the economic, political, and social fabric.

A comprehensive introductory resource with entries covering the development of money and the functions and dysfunctions of the monetary and financial system.The original edition of The Encyclopedia of Money won widespread acclaim for explaining the function—and dysfunction—of the financial system in a language any reader could understand. Now a decade later, with a more globally integrated, market-oriented world, and with consumers trying to make sense of subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, and bank stress tests, the Encyclopedia returns in an expanded new edition.From the development of metal and paper currency to the ongoing global economic crisis, the rigorously updated The Encyclopedia of Money, Second Edition is the most authoritative, comprehensive resource on the fundamentals of money and finance available. Its 350 alphabetically organized entries—85 completely new to this edition—help readers make sense of a wide range of events, policies, and regulations by explaining their historical, political, and theoretical contexts. The new edition focuses most intently on the last two decades, highlighting the connections between the onrush of globalization, the surging stock market, and various monetary and fiscal crises of the 1990s, as well as developments, scandals, and pocketbook issues making headlines today.350 fully updated A-Z entries on the deveopment, functions, and dysfunctions of money, banking, and credit systems, including 85 new to this editionDozens of photographs and illustrations of coinage and paper money from different times and placesA glossary of key terms such as gross domestic product, capitalism, float, credit default swaps, and solvencyAn index offering access to entries by several criteria, including individuals involved and countries affected

A comprehensive introductory resource with entries covering the development of money and the functions and dysfunctions of the monetary and financial system.The original edition of The Encyclopedia of Money won widespread acclaim for explaining the function—and dysfunction—of the financial system in a language any reader could understand. Now a decade later, with a more globally integrated, market-oriented world, and with consumers trying to make sense of subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, and bank stress tests, the Encyclopedia returns in an expanded new edition.From the development of metal and paper currency to the ongoing global economic crisis, the rigorously updated The Encyclopedia of Money, Second Edition is the most authoritative, comprehensive resource on the fundamentals of money and finance available. Its 350 alphabetically organized entries—85 completely new to this edition—help readers make sense of a wide range of events, policies, and regulations by explaining their historical, political, and theoretical contexts. The new edition focuses most intently on the last two decades, highlighting the connections between the onrush of globalization, the surging stock market, and various monetary and fiscal crises of the 1990s, as well as developments, scandals, and pocketbook issues making headlines today.

This book traces the evolution of the highly integrated global financial system from 1750 to the present. It examines the corporate form of business organization in the eighteenth century that saw an explosion of growth in the nineteenth, which facilitated the international movement of capital. The author also deals with the parallel growth of financial markets and explains how the need to finance public debts paved the way for stock markets as well as outlining the role of private merchant bankers, who originated as international bankers with family-run offices accross Europe. He charts the development of banks into public corporations and follows the evolution of modern paper money, explaining the emergence of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. While tracing the development of foreign-exchange markets and the history of trading blocs, the book also examines how economic powers such as Britain and France used access to capital to wield power in less-developed parts of the world. Finally, an history of financial crises is presented, revealing how economic shocks reverberate from one country to another today through the global financial network.

From Adam Smith and the Industrial Revolution to Wall Street and multinational corporations, capitalism has long been one of the world's leading economic systems. This work traces the evolution of capitalism from its roots in medieval Europe's rigid economy, through the laissez-faire abuses of the 19th century, to its contemporary form as shaped by competition with socialism. Covering the period from 1450 to 1998, Larry Allen examines significant laws, government policies, treaties, events, concepts, and people. Entries include the British General Strike of 1926, the Corn Laws, Factory Acts, the Great Depression, International Monetary Fund, the Labour Party, the Privatization Revolution, Refuedalization, and the Welfare State. Written clearly for the general reader, each entry gives historical facts and social context, not only defining the term itself, but clarifying and describing how it influenced and shaped the economic, political, and social fabric.

A comprehensive introductory resource with entries covering the development of money and the functions and dysfunctions of the monetary and financial system.The original edition of The Encyclopedia of Money won widespread acclaim for explaining the function—and dysfunction—of the financial system in a language any reader could understand. Now a decade later, with a more globally integrated, market-oriented world, and with consumers trying to make sense of subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, and bank stress tests, the Encyclopedia returns in an expanded new edition.From the development of metal and paper currency to the ongoing global economic crisis, the rigorously updated The Encyclopedia of Money, Second Edition is the most authoritative, comprehensive resource on the fundamentals of money and finance available. Its 350 alphabetically organized entries—85 completely new to this edition—help readers make sense of a wide range of events, policies, and regulations by explaining their historical, political, and theoretical contexts. The new edition focuses most intently on the last two decades, highlighting the connections between the onrush of globalization, the surging stock market, and various monetary and fiscal crises of the 1990s, as well as developments, scandals, and pocketbook issues making headlines today.350 fully updated A-Z entries on the deveopment, functions, and dysfunctions of money, banking, and credit systems, including 85 new to this editionDozens of photographs and illustrations of coinage and paper money from different times and placesA glossary of key terms such as gross domestic product, capitalism, float, credit default swaps, and solvencyAn index offering access to entries by several criteria, including individuals involved and countries affected

A comprehensive introductory resource with entries covering the development of money and the functions and dysfunctions of the monetary and financial system.The original edition of The Encyclopedia of Money won widespread acclaim for explaining the function—and dysfunction—of the financial system in a language any reader could understand. Now a decade later, with a more globally integrated, market-oriented world, and with consumers trying to make sense of subprime mortgages, credit default swaps, and bank stress tests, the Encyclopedia returns in an expanded new edition.From the development of metal and paper currency to the ongoing global economic crisis, the rigorously updated The Encyclopedia of Money, Second Edition is the most authoritative, comprehensive resource on the fundamentals of money and finance available. Its 350 alphabetically organized entries—85 completely new to this edition—help readers make sense of a wide range of events, policies, and regulations by explaining their historical, political, and theoretical contexts. The new edition focuses most intently on the last two decades, highlighting the connections between the onrush of globalization, the surging stock market, and various monetary and fiscal crises of the 1990s, as well as developments, scandals, and pocketbook issues making headlines today.

This book traces the evolution of the highly integrated global financial system from 1750 to the present. It examines the corporate form of business organization in the eighteenth century that saw an explosion of growth in the nineteenth, which facilitated the international movement of capital. The author also deals with the parallel growth of financial markets and explains how the need to finance public debts paved the way for stock markets as well as outlining the role of private merchant bankers, who originated as international bankers with family-run offices accross Europe. He charts the development of banks into public corporations and follows the evolution of modern paper money, explaining the emergence of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. While tracing the development of foreign-exchange markets and the history of trading blocs, the book also examines how economic powers such as Britain and France used access to capital to wield power in less-developed parts of the world. Finally, an history of financial crises is presented, revealing how economic shocks reverberate from one country to another today through the global financial network.