Today’s post is the course outline with readings for the undergraduate course on the economic history of Europe since the Industrial Revolution that I took at Yale during the Spring semester of my junior year (1972). The course was taught by assistant professor Jon S. Cohen.
From the perspective of today it is hard to imagine the sheer abundance of courses in economic history offered at that time. I have already posted the course outlines for Harry Miskimin’s course on the Economic History of Europe through the Industrial Revolution and William Parker’s course on U.S. Economic History, as well as Ray Powell’s course on History of the Soviet Economy.
While I must confess that I cannot summon any particular memory from the class itself beyond what I have managed to internalize from the readings below, a mere bibliographic residual, there was a later paper written by Cohen along with another one of my M.I.T. professors that possessed the needed salience to survive in my memory to this day:
Jon S. Cohen and Martin Weitzman. A Marxian model of enclosures. Journal of Development Economics, 1975, vol. 1, issue 4, 287-336.
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American Economic Association Membership Listing (1981)
Cohen, Jon S. Div. of Soc. Sci., Scarborough Coll., U. of Toronto, West Hill, ON M1C 1A4, Canada. Birth Year: 1939. Degrees: B.A. Columbia Coll., 1960; M.A., U. of Calif. at Berkeley, 1964; Ph.D., U. of Calif. at Berkeley, 1966. Prin. Cur. Position: Associate Prof., U. of Toronto, 1972-. Concurrent/Past Positions: Asst. Prof., Yale U., 1966-72. Research: European economic history and th eeocnomics of education.
Source: Biographical Listing of Members. American Economic Review, Vol. 71, No. 6. (Dec., 1981), p. 101.
List of Publications: 1996-2019.
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Economic History of Europe
Since the Industrial Revolution
Economics 81b (History 60b)
Spring 1972
Mr. J. Cohen
501 SSS
Ex. 63246
You are expected to read all (or large parts) of the following books:
David Landes, The Unbound Prometheus
Paul Mantoux, The Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century
E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class
T.S. Ashton, The Industrial Revolution, 1760-1830
J. H. Clapham, The Economic Development of France and Germany, 1815-1914
An attempt will be made to devote at least one class meeting each week to discussion of these books and other assigned readings. Topics which will be covered and suggested reading are listed below.
I. Preliminaries to Industrialization:
A) Trade and Political Change
W. E. Minchinton (ed.), The Growth of English Overseas Trade, Introduction.
B. Moore, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy, Chapter I.
P. Mantoux, Part I, Chapter 2.
B) Population Change
Michael Drake (ed.), Population in Industrialization, Introduction, Chapters 3, 6, 7.
C) Agricultural Change
E. L. Jones (ed.), Agriculture and Economic Growth, Introduction, Chapter 44.
[addition, handwritten] Marx Vol. I, Part 8—Accumulation of Capital. Chapters 27-30.
P. Mantoux, Part I, Chapter 3.
II. Industrial Revolution in Great Britain
A) Industrial Change
D. Landes, Chapters 2-3.
T. Ashton, Chapter 3.
P. Mantoux, Part I, Chapter 1; Part II.
[addition, handwritten] Karl Polanyi, Great Transformation
B) Finance and Capital
P. Deane, The First Industrial Revolution, Chapters 10, 11, 13.
T. Ashton, Chapters 4-5.
C) Social and Economic Conditions
P. Mantoux, Part III.
E. P. Thompson, Part II.
T. Ashton, Chapters V-VI.
D) The Course of Economic Change After 1830
E. J. Hobsbawm, Chapters VI-IX. [Industry & Empire]
M. Dobb, Studies in the Development of Capitalism, Chapter 9.
III. Industrialization on the Continent
D. Landes, Chapters III-V.
A. Gerschenkron, Economic Backwardness in Historical Perspective, Chapter 1.
J. H. Clapham, selected chapters on France and Germany [1848-1915 Germany]
B. Supple (ed.), The Experience of Economic Growth, selected chapters. [Landes, Cameron,
[addition, handwritten] Cameron (ed.), Essays in French Economic History. Claude Fohlen, Ind. Rev. in France.
IV. The International Economy to 1914
R. Triffin, Our International Monetary System, Part I, Chapter I.
R. Winks (ed.), British Imperialism, 11-51, 82-96.
V. The Interwar Period and After
W.A. Lewis, Economic Survey, 1919-1939, selected chapters.
[handwritten addition to bottom of page]
Gallagher and Robinson, The Imperialism of Free Trade. E.H.R., 1953
Eckstein (ed.), Comparison of Economic Systems: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches
Rosovsky (ed.), Industrialization in Two Systems
[handwritten addition, back of the second page of syllabus]
Possible paper topics.
- Enclosures and population movements in Great Britain in the 17th century
- Patters of enclosure in France
- Land markets in 18th century Britain
- Colonial policy in Britain—Sources of policy. Interest groups.
- Eric Williams—impact of slavery on Industrialization
- Labor movement and progress of England. Awareness, Consciousness
- Rise of protection and aggressive foreign policy.
Source: Personal Copy, Irwin Collier.
Image Source: Jon S. Cohen webpage at the University of Toronto.