Monopoly Capital: An Essay on the American Economic & Social Order, Paul Baran, Paul M. Sweezy
1. monopoly capitalism, system made up of giant corporations
2. Big Business organized as corporations
3. small business is not independent of big corporations
4. corporate-monopoly center
5. smaller-business sector, take on strategies/calculations of Big Business
6. Big Business, dominant element
7. corporations maximize profit, accumulate capital
8. smaller business, receiving end
9. Big Business creates crises
10. direct, hierarchial, bureaucratic relations in corporations
11. directions from top down
12. responsibility from bottom up
13. market relations are price relations
14. competitive price system tended to produce a state of equilibrium, p. 54
15. business cycles, disturbances in the normal course of development
16. attacks on traditional price theory
17. Keynes: General Theory Of Employment
18. a monopolistic price system was substituted for a traditional competitive system, p. 56
19. wide range of prices attractive to corporations
20. similar corporations, if one lowers prices, effect will be felt by others
21. cartels
22. antitrust laws to prevent formation of cartels
23. corporations act in group interest
24. Marx: “the executive power of the state is simply a committee for managing the common affairs of the entire bourgeois class.”(64)
25. low profits in agriculture, > price supports & acreage controls
26. “the function of the state is to serve the interests of monopoly capital.”(66)
27. “With every advance of monopoly toward greater economic power and more general social acceptance the federal government becomes more subservient to it, more dependent on it, more disposed to favor it with grants and privilege, protection, and subsidy.”
28. corporations aren’t that technologically progressive & organized efficiently
29. incentive to cut costs faster than rivals
30. if a new instrument, material, or machine can help save money, customers want it, p. 70
31. producers make more profits by helping others make more profits, p. 71
32. increasing productivity > more profits for corporations
33. innovation originates in a handful of corporations,
34. workers need to be paid well to keep consuming
35. “The system will cease to be capable of generating sufficient purchasing power to keep the mechanism of growth in operation,”(75)
36. labor productivity has increased, 75
37. more organized workers command higher wages, p. 77
Monday, October 26, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
"Imperialism & Capitalism," Joseph A. Schumpeter, p. 83-130
“Imperialism & Capitalism,” Joseph A. Schumpeter, p. 83-130
1. expansion is required
a. inclinations toward war & conquest
b. many wars waged without reason
c. social structures tend to maintain themselves
d. many individuals gain socially & economically from war
e. imperialism is of a primitive character
f. “more civilized” countries can pursue imperialism
g. 1750s, capitalism becomes significant
h. a profit based economy developed
i. capitalist classes overthrew the dominant classes of the time
j. the bourgeoisie led the movement
k. workers started to be able to assert themselves politically
l. clerics, legal scholars & physicians were the traditional intellectual class
m. the “professional” became a class
n. people were freed from old institutions
o. democratization, individualization, rationalization (p. 89)
p. rationalistic decisions were needed for their survival > the rest of life was considered rationally because of economic rationalism
q. constant application, attention, and concentration of energy are the conditions for survival
r. excess energy goes into industry, art, science & the social struggle
s. energy for war became energy for labor
t. “A purely capitalist war therefore can offer no fertile soil to imperialist impulses.”(90)
u. should we condemn capitalism or just condemn imperialism?
p. 90
q. “But modern pacificism, in its political foundations if not its derivation, is unquestionably a phenomenon of the capitalist world.”(92)
“threat of attack became an avowed occasion for war.”(93)
“today imperialism is carefully hidden from public view,”(93)
“every expansionest urge must be carefully related to a concrete goal.”(93)]
r. “the industrial worker created by capitalism is always vigorously anti-imperialist.”
-Are they really? Are workers really concerned about imperialism?
t. the capitalist age has “methods for preventing war.”(94)
u. pre-capitalist power structures remain (p. 94-95)
v. the US was the least likely to be imperialist, then Teddy Roosevelt promoted imperialism, p. 96
w. many people will gain from war in a capitalist economy, p. 97
x.the national economy is impoverished by war, p. 98
y. the war profits aren’t a big enough motivation for capitalists to go to war
2. protectionism is not an essential characteristic of capitalism
3. barriers hurt exports
4. the economy becomes a weapon for the political struggle, 102
5. tariffs hurt consumers
6. tariffs help specific industries, 103
7. before 1914, banks had excess capital
8. protectionism leads to trusts
9. monopoly capitalism: big banks + cartels are one
10. organized capital profits hugely from wars of aggression
11. foreign workers are underpaid
12. capitalism overproduces, then needs somewhere to put the excess of products
13. monopolies are behind protective tariffs
14. capitalism and imperialism don’t have to lead into each other, 118
15. tariffs-from the monarchy
16. unnatural advantages in capitalism....
17. the bourgeois became one of the power instruments of the monarchy, p. 119
18. modern nationalism developed, p. 120
19. the Hanseatic League & Venice could only maintain themselves with fortified bases, warehousing privileges, and protective treaties
20. “established habits of thought and action tend to persist, and hence the spirit of guild and monopoly at first maintained itself, and was only slowly undermined, even where capitalism was in sole possession of the field.”(121)
21. autocracy was needed to protect economic interests
22. “Capitalism did bring about many changes on the land, springing in part from its automatic mechanisms, in part from the political trends it engendered-abolition of serfdom, freeing the soil from feudal entanglements, and so on-but initially it did not alter the basic outlines of the social structure of the countryside.”(121)
23. “the features and trends of autocracy-including imperialism-proved so resistant, why they exerted such a powerful influence on capitalist development, why the old export monopolism could live on and merge into the new.”(121-122)
24. the ruling class of the Middle Ages did not become the capitalist class, landowners were a different class
25. “The nobility entered the modern world in the form into which it had been shaped by the autocratic state-the same state that had also molded the bourgeoisie. It was the sovereign who disciplined the nobility, instilled loyalty into it, “statized” it, and, as we have shown, imperialized it.”(123)
26. “The bourgeoisie did not simply supplant the sovereign, nor did it make him its leader, as did the nobility. It merely wrested a portion of his power from him and for the rest submitted to him.”(123)
27. “It is in the state that the bourgeois with its interests seeks refuge, protection against external and even domestic enemies. The bourgeois seeks to win over the state for itself, and in return serves the state and state interests that are different from its own.”(124)
28. “Because pugnacious sovereigns stood in constant fear of attack by their equally pugnacious neighbors, the modern bourgeois attributes aggressive designs to neighboring peoples. All such modes of thought are essentially non-capitalist.”(124)
29. “Nationalism is affirmative awareness of national character, together with an aggressive sense of superiority. It arose from the autocratic state.”(125)
30. the autocracy molds the bourgeois into a nationalistic type of policy, p. 126
31. “The alignment of capitalist interests should make him utterly reject military methods, put him in opposition to the professional soldier.”(126-127)
32. “Nationalism and militarism, while not creatures of capitalism, become “capitalized” and in the end draw their best energies from capitalism.”(128)
33. (Imperialism) “It would never have been evolved by the “inner logic” of capitalism itself.”(128)
34. “The only point at issue here was to demonstrate, by means of an important example, the ancient truth that the dead always rule the living.”(130)
1. expansion is required
a. inclinations toward war & conquest
b. many wars waged without reason
c. social structures tend to maintain themselves
d. many individuals gain socially & economically from war
e. imperialism is of a primitive character
f. “more civilized” countries can pursue imperialism
g. 1750s, capitalism becomes significant
h. a profit based economy developed
i. capitalist classes overthrew the dominant classes of the time
j. the bourgeoisie led the movement
k. workers started to be able to assert themselves politically
l. clerics, legal scholars & physicians were the traditional intellectual class
m. the “professional” became a class
n. people were freed from old institutions
o. democratization, individualization, rationalization (p. 89)
p. rationalistic decisions were needed for their survival > the rest of life was considered rationally because of economic rationalism
q. constant application, attention, and concentration of energy are the conditions for survival
r. excess energy goes into industry, art, science & the social struggle
s. energy for war became energy for labor
t. “A purely capitalist war therefore can offer no fertile soil to imperialist impulses.”(90)
u. should we condemn capitalism or just condemn imperialism?
p. 90
q. “But modern pacificism, in its political foundations if not its derivation, is unquestionably a phenomenon of the capitalist world.”(92)
“threat of attack became an avowed occasion for war.”(93)
“today imperialism is carefully hidden from public view,”(93)
“every expansionest urge must be carefully related to a concrete goal.”(93)]
r. “the industrial worker created by capitalism is always vigorously anti-imperialist.”
-Are they really? Are workers really concerned about imperialism?
t. the capitalist age has “methods for preventing war.”(94)
u. pre-capitalist power structures remain (p. 94-95)
v. the US was the least likely to be imperialist, then Teddy Roosevelt promoted imperialism, p. 96
w. many people will gain from war in a capitalist economy, p. 97
x.the national economy is impoverished by war, p. 98
y. the war profits aren’t a big enough motivation for capitalists to go to war
z. actual free trade areas: no forcible expansion into such areas, p. 99
2. protectionism is not an essential characteristic of capitalism
3. barriers hurt exports
4. the economy becomes a weapon for the political struggle, 102
5. tariffs hurt consumers
6. tariffs help specific industries, 103
7. before 1914, banks had excess capital
8. protectionism leads to trusts
9. monopoly capitalism: big banks + cartels are one
10. organized capital profits hugely from wars of aggression
11. foreign workers are underpaid
12. capitalism overproduces, then needs somewhere to put the excess of products
13. monopolies are behind protective tariffs
14. capitalism and imperialism don’t have to lead into each other, 118
15. tariffs-from the monarchy
16. unnatural advantages in capitalism....
17. the bourgeois became one of the power instruments of the monarchy, p. 119
18. modern nationalism developed, p. 120
19. the Hanseatic League & Venice could only maintain themselves with fortified bases, warehousing privileges, and protective treaties
20. “established habits of thought and action tend to persist, and hence the spirit of guild and monopoly at first maintained itself, and was only slowly undermined, even where capitalism was in sole possession of the field.”(121)
21. autocracy was needed to protect economic interests
22. “Capitalism did bring about many changes on the land, springing in part from its automatic mechanisms, in part from the political trends it engendered-abolition of serfdom, freeing the soil from feudal entanglements, and so on-but initially it did not alter the basic outlines of the social structure of the countryside.”(121)
23. “the features and trends of autocracy-including imperialism-proved so resistant, why they exerted such a powerful influence on capitalist development, why the old export monopolism could live on and merge into the new.”(121-122)
24. the ruling class of the Middle Ages did not become the capitalist class, landowners were a different class
25. “The nobility entered the modern world in the form into which it had been shaped by the autocratic state-the same state that had also molded the bourgeoisie. It was the sovereign who disciplined the nobility, instilled loyalty into it, “statized” it, and, as we have shown, imperialized it.”(123)
26. “The bourgeoisie did not simply supplant the sovereign, nor did it make him its leader, as did the nobility. It merely wrested a portion of his power from him and for the rest submitted to him.”(123)
27. “It is in the state that the bourgeois with its interests seeks refuge, protection against external and even domestic enemies. The bourgeois seeks to win over the state for itself, and in return serves the state and state interests that are different from its own.”(124)
28. “Because pugnacious sovereigns stood in constant fear of attack by their equally pugnacious neighbors, the modern bourgeois attributes aggressive designs to neighboring peoples. All such modes of thought are essentially non-capitalist.”(124)
29. “Nationalism is affirmative awareness of national character, together with an aggressive sense of superiority. It arose from the autocratic state.”(125)
30. the autocracy molds the bourgeois into a nationalistic type of policy, p. 126
31. “The alignment of capitalist interests should make him utterly reject military methods, put him in opposition to the professional soldier.”(126-127)
32. “Nationalism and militarism, while not creatures of capitalism, become “capitalized” and in the end draw their best energies from capitalism.”(128)
33. (Imperialism) “It would never have been evolved by the “inner logic” of capitalism itself.”(128)
34. “The only point at issue here was to demonstrate, by means of an important example, the ancient truth that the dead always rule the living.”(130)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Imperialism: A Study, p. 65-109
Imperialism: A Study, p. 65-109
- 1. China/Japan War, profitable for Europe’s financial houses
- a. railway/mining companies > profitable business for companies that raise capital
- b. more armaments, more public debts,
- c. war, revolution, anarchist assassination: manipulates the market
- d. quarrel between USA & Great Britain over Venezuela...
- e. non-economic factors: patriotism, adventure, military enterprise, political ambition, philanthropy
- f. “Finance manipulates the patriotic forces which politicians, soldiers, philanthropists & traders generate; the enthusiasm for expansion which issues from these sources, through strong & genuine, is irregular and blind; the financial interest has those qualities on concentration and clear sighted calculation which are needed to set Imperialism to work.”(66)
- g. “the final determination rests on financial power.” (67)
- h. newspaper: “facts & opinions of the business classes.”
- i. “the general body of the Press comes more & more under the conscious or unconscious dominion of financiers.”(67)
- j. the press will not oppose the organized financial classes (67)
- k. the press is strongly biased toward imperialism (68)
- l. parasites on patriotism
- m. false motives: good government, promote Christianity, stop slavery, elevate the lower races
Chapter V, Imperialism Based On Protection
- 1. increased military spending: insurance premium for business
- 2. increased hostility against foreign nations, characteristic of imperialism
- 3. trade SHOULD be a mutual benefit to the nations involved
- 4. imperialism would make an individual bankrupt
- 71
- 1. markets may not be worth what they cost
- 2. keeping nation’s finances separate doesn’t make sense
- 3. roundabout trade: crucial
- 4. seizing colonies: not free trade
- 5. tariffs: not free trade
- 6. spheres of influence create monopolies (p. 72)
- 7. Protectionism is not Free Trade! (Obviously)
- 8. rubber trade, increase supply, keep cost down
- 9. bounties to sugar producers, artificially cheap sugar in Britain
- 10. “Open Door” shouldn’t require military action
- 11. it is costly, dangerous & laborious to open non-Western, pre-industrial nations to trade
- 12. France, Russia, Germany, USA could develop tropical nations
- 13. Britain is overwhelmed with its commitments
The Economic Taproot Of Imperialism, p. 76
- 1. national force is used to secure new markets
- 2. poor & precarious markets
- 3. Germany, Belgium, US: advanced with great rapidity
- 4. protectorates/annexation: protects colonial investment
- 5. new markets can take the overflow of goods
- 6. investors want annexation
- 7. secure food & raw materials for Mother Country
- 8. imperialism is said to be a necessity (p.78)
- 9. militarism can overtake liberty & equality (p.79)
- 10. economic forces are the driving force of imperialism
- 11. USA: natural resources + skilled + unskilled labor force + genius for invention & organization
- 12. protectionism allowed US industry to mature
- 13. concentration of wealth among the captains of industry
- 14. goods could be produced faster than they could be consumed > falling price
- 15. trusts develop out of cut-throat competition
- 16. US manufacturing capacity may outpace consumption p. 82
- 17. oil, steel, sugar, railroads, banking: have to spend more at home or expand abroad
- 18. isolationism is abandoned, imperialism is undertaken
- 19. surplus goods are dumped in foreign markets
- 20. Messrs, Rockefeller, Pierpont Morgan, Hanna, Schwab were behind the Republican Party of Teddy Roosevelt
- a. “manifest destiny” and “mission of civilization” are misleading
- b. financiers need to expand to employ more capital
- c. China, Pacific, S. America: new markets for the US
- d. Cuba, Philippines, Hawaii: desirable, tiny portion of appetite
- e. advance of capitalism at home in USA must expand (p. 85)
- f. over-production leads to depressions
- g. Germany overproduced, must sell in E. Africa, West Africa, China
- h. German protectorates were established, p. 86
- i. improvement of methods of production > centralization of financiers
- j. over production, under-consumption
- k. under-consumption leads to high unemployment
- l. saving: capital lies idle
- m. wages are based on cost of living?
- n. wages are not based on the efficiency of the labor.
- o. the rich never spend enough to prevent overproduction
- p. the surplus income of the rich is automatically saved
- q. millionaire’s incomes rise faster than their spending
- r. trusts: narrow/dam up channels of investment
- s. Imperialism is required to sell surplus of goods abroad
- t. if labor earned more, the surplus could be sold domestically
- u. higher taxes would give workers more public benefits
- v. the poor have many unsatisfied material wants
- w. an intelligent progressive community with a lot of educational/occupational opportunities would purchase those extra goods
- y. there doesn’t need to be under-employment & over-production
- z. producers have a hard time selling their products (p. 92), need advertisers
Progressive Society p. 93
- 1. would want more inventive/operative energies of producers
- 2. would not be “a false economy of distribution.”
- 3. would not be “a chronic economic waste.”
- 4. better distribution: full employment, high consumption at home
- 5. “Imperialism is the root of this false economy.”
- 6. social reformers want to raise consumption for the masses
- 7. excessive incomes = a suicidal economy
- 8. the rich have a consuming power they do not use
- 9. public taxes & public spending need to increase
- 10. “unearned elements of income should be taxed.”
- 11. Trade Unionism/Socialism: enemies of imperialism (p. 96)
- 12. Imperialism crushes trade unionism & misuses socialism
- 13. the State could meet the working class’ economic needs p. 97
- 14. expansion of foreign trade/empire is not necessary
- 15. quantitative vs. qualitative growth, p. 98
- 16. Denmark/Switzerland: 1) strong public education, 2) developed agriculture, 3) applies science to manufacturing,
- 17. Britain: 1) neglected agriculture, 2) allowed population to grow, 3) fell behind in education, 4) didn’t adapt to new technology
Imperialist Finance, p. 100
- 1. Imperialism: private interests use public payrolls to expand business outside of the home country
- 2. 3/4 of the $ goes to naval/military operations
- 3. education, civil government are neglected
- 4. public $ goes to landowners
- 5. incredible expenditures on S. African war
- 6. profitable markets for surplus goods
- 7. bribes or concessions to less benefitted interests
- 8. 1) interest, 2) trade profits, 3) employment
- 9. public spending should increase, p. 103
- 10. taxation should be mostly on unearned income
- 11. a straight tax on citizens would not allow Imperialism to function, p. 104
- 12. resources were extracted from S. Africa with tax dollars
- 13. Free Trade cheapened labor, p. 105
- 14. the Liberal Party favored protectionism
- 15. both parties were sold out & the people were ignorant
- 16. Imperialism thrives on indirect taxation
- 17. many elites are Protectionists
- 18. the masses see history with dim eyes
- 19. the Liberal party didn’t promote peace, retrenchment, and reform
- 20. Liberal party, buffer between conservatives and socialist union movements
- 21. the Liberal Party won’t renounce Imperialism
- 22. land reform would infringe on right’s of landowners
Imperialism, A Study, p. 40-64
Imperialism, A Study, p. 40-64
- 1. colonies are economically & politically dependent on Great Britain
- 2. Cape Colony, Natal: lacking in self government
- 3. other colonies: Australia, Canada, Newfoundland, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar, Malta
- 4. semi-tropical colonies: labor is exploited
- 5. Canada & Australia, some self government
- 6. new imperialism: annexation of tropical countries
- 7. Australia & Canada don’t want to depend on British manufactured goods.
- 8. Laos, Niger Coast Protectorate, North Borneo: do about 1,000,000 pounds of trade a year
- 9. Lancashire, cheap textiles, Birmingham, cheap metals, Sheffield: gunpowder, spirits, tobacco
Chapter III, Imperialism As An Outlet For Population
- 1.populations want a fuller & easier subsistence
- 2. as population increases, its harder to find good employment
- 3. surplus immigrants would like new land
- 4. traders, engineers, overseers are needed abroad in imperialism
- 5. British soldiers are then needed to protect British subjects
- 6. Britain has a lower population density than prosperous industrial parts of Germany
- 7. seizing new territory is expensive
- 8. if the theory that Britain is over-populated is true, and Britain’s inhabitants need imperialistically held land to settle on, why are there such few migrants to Britain’s actual colonies?
- 9. Canada, Australia, S. Africa: most heavily populated colonies
- 10. imperialism is an insignificant factor in employment
- 11. no substantial emigration to properties acquired after 1870 except the Transvaal & the Orange River
- 12. “The new Empire is even more barren for settlement than for profitable trade.”(50)
Chapter IV, Economic Parasites Of Imperialism
- 1. a small market has been obtained
- 2. rich men seeking advantage of the commonwealth
- 3. sectional interests overwhelm holistic interests
- 4. bad for the nation as a whole, good for certain business interests
- a. risks & embarrassments of foreign policy
- b. costly wars
- c. social & political reforms in Britain were halted
- d. sectional interests: enemies of the commonwealth
- e. a defensive policy might work just as well
- f. a socialist country & a laissez faire democracy would know Imperialism is not in its best interest
- g. which commercial & social interests benefit from Imperialism?
- h. enormous profits for the manufacture of war-related items
- i. new markets for exports are acquired
- j. a pushful policy is good for certain industries
- k. Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, compete in textiles, hardware, machinery, spirits, guns,
- l. railways, canals, public works, factories, mines, improvement of agriculture stimulate manufacturing
- m. Parliament is influenced by small business interests
- n. service careers set up in India for wealthy elites
- o. “vast system of outdoor relief for the upper classes.”(56)
- p. military, clerical, academic, Civil Service opportunities are generated
II, 56
- 1. internationalization of capital
- a. growth in income from external investments
- b. taxes can be evaded abroad
- c. insurance companies, investment trusts, land mortgage companies: profitable returns on international investments
- d. 15% of Britain’s total wealth was invested abroad
- e. investment in railways, banks, telegraphs, and public services owned or managed by governments
- f. * interest exceeds profits on import/export trade
- g. *foreign & colonial trade are growing, income from foreign investment is growing
- h. the public purse is used to advance private investments + safeguard and improve existing investments (60)
- i. Britain, France, Germany, US:
- j. Britain: creditor country, US, France, Germany are advancing on the same path
- k. France tried to take over Mexico because French citizens held Mexican securities
- l. Egypt became a British province
- m. Tel-el-Kebir: battle to protect Britain’s economic interests in Egypt
- n. imperialism is injurious to the public purse & the citizen
- 1. enormous expenditures on armaments
- 2. diplomatic audacity
- o. investing/speculative classes endorse imperialism
- p. banking, broking, discounting, loan floating, company promoting
- q. Rothschild’s financed many wars
- r. investors heavily endorse imperialism
- s. Philippine island investments put $ into JP Morgan’s pockets, p. 65
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Chapter II, The Emergence Of Southern Europe, 20 to 37.
Chapter II, The Emergence Of Southern Europe, 20 to 37.
1. last 3,000 years of the pre-Christian era, S. Europe gradually emerged as a well-populated region of developed agriculture, industry, trade, politics, rich culture.
2. S. Europe influenced/aided by Asia/Egypt
3. north, flat expanse
4. Asia Minor: Middle, land bridge
5. Germany/Rhine: rainy weather
6. S. route, seaway along Mediterranean, important part in economic emergence
7. Mediterranean, 2,200 miles in length
8. oarsmen needed to counteract winds
9. Europe had minerals which Near Eastern peoples lacked
10. Cyprus, copper, Elba: iron, Spain: silver, gold, copper, iron
11. Greece: silver & lead
12. Bohemia: tin
13. Black Sea, shipping of furs from Russian forests
14. Troy, 2400 BC, collect loot or levies from the people crossing the Dardenelles
15. 2000-100Bc, trade routes became longer
16. Mediterranean: winter, summer: only seasons
a. water: problematic, less than 2 inches of rain per month
b. goat, sheep, hog: figure largely into the rural economy
c. meat & dairy: small place in diet
d. lowlands couldn’t feed a large population
e. grains, olives, vines: staple crops
f. terraces had to be erected for hill-side farming
g. olive oil, the butter & lard
h. water, tea, coffee, beer, wine.
i. waterworks had to be built for Mediterranean cities
j. artificial irrigation was required
k. colonies were established on the Black Sea coast
Crete
1. fairly large island
b. temperate climate
c. fertile, well watered soil
d. large forests for shipbuilders
e. copper & clay
f. shellfish > dye was extracted
g. imported Spanish metals & British tin
h. overthrown about 1400 BC
Phoenicia
1. narrow belt of the Syrian coast
2. natural resources, good location (better than Crete!)
3. cedar, cyprus & oak trees
4. Carthage, took control of W. Sicily
5. built warships, hired mercenaries
6. Africa: gold, ivory, ebony, ostrich feathers, precious stones, slaves-brought across Sahara or by ships
7. Phoenicians added industry to commerce
8. copied Mesopotamian/Egyptian methods & patterns
9. Tyrian purple, expensive, for royalty
Greeks
1. not the 1st people to occupy the S. part of the Balkins
2. lived in small city-states, ports, nests of warriors
3. disturbance between 1200 and 1000 BC, Greeks come to Aegean
4. herded & grew grain
5. exploited mineral deposits
6. depended on “mother cities” for capital goods
7. produced oil, wine, manufactured goods, exchanged for grain
8. Corinth/Athens: depended almost entirely on imported food
9. Athens depended on Egypt & S. Russia
10. Seythian alliance to get grain
11. public officials needed store houses to feed the population
Land Problems,
1. land was divided into small & large estates
2. small farmers needed to borrow for seeds, animals, equipment, pest killers
3. higher interest rates for small farmers
4. aristocrat/bourgeois: common enemy in farmer’s class struggle
5. Solon the Lawgiver cancelled many debts
6. farmers produced goods
7. large estates/temples: freedman, slaves & women worked
Slave Labor
1. Greek industry relied heavily on slave labor
2. Near East/ Europe: a lot of slavery
3. common part of labor structure
4. POWs, people captured by pirates, children of slaves worked as slaves...
5. slaves could have simple rural training or developed professional skills
6. slaves might till at a farm or work at the oar of a galley
7. slaves could work as policeman, domestic servants, craftsman, salesman or clerks
8. p. 32 slaves could marry & own property
9. slaves could get a portion of owner’s receipts, emancipation or both
Commerce & Currency
1. Greek foreign trade was virtually all sea trade
2. a lot of risks involved in shipping trade
3. stated weight of copper unit
4. Lydia in Asia Minor minted coins
5. King Croesus, author of innovation
6 Mt. Laurium near Athens was rich in silver/lead ore
7. lead was used for roofs, pipes, & domestic utensils (poisoning...)
8. slaves extracted the silver/lead, state owned mine, private industries paid a royalty to the state
9. coins changed the nature of wealth
10. easier to store, accumulate, consume, invest, lend,
11. money changer, banker, valuables were stored with him
12. city-state: city with a small rural area around it
13. cities were rivals
14. geography, history, competition
15. Athens built up an anti-Persian confederation
16. Peloponnesian War (431-404) attack on Athens
Hellenistic Period
1. Philip of Macedon absorbed the peninsula
2. Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, overthrew Persian empire
3. Alexander’s empire was a military creation
4. Egypt, Asia, Macedon
5. Greek exports declined, couldn’t import enough food
6. Alexander, economic & intellectual metropolis of the whole Hellenic world
7. Greeks handled Chinese goods!
8. large boats were built, postal services were created, harbors were improved, lighthouses were erected, pirates were suppressed
9. Persians allowed water supplies to fall into disrepair
10. Alexander took Persian emperor’s gold, gave large bonuses to soldiers,
11. built new cities, administration and luxuries
12 Ptolemies, new kings of Egypt, installed Greek efficiency experts to increase productivity
13. prosperity didn’t last consistently
14. kings of Egypt/W. Asia fought each other, tried to ruin each other’s economies
15. peasants felt over-taxed
16. the Romans came east and conquered
1. last 3,000 years of the pre-Christian era, S. Europe gradually emerged as a well-populated region of developed agriculture, industry, trade, politics, rich culture.
2. S. Europe influenced/aided by Asia/Egypt
3. north, flat expanse
4. Asia Minor: Middle, land bridge
5. Germany/Rhine: rainy weather
6. S. route, seaway along Mediterranean, important part in economic emergence
7. Mediterranean, 2,200 miles in length
8. oarsmen needed to counteract winds
9. Europe had minerals which Near Eastern peoples lacked
10. Cyprus, copper, Elba: iron, Spain: silver, gold, copper, iron
11. Greece: silver & lead
12. Bohemia: tin
13. Black Sea, shipping of furs from Russian forests
14. Troy, 2400 BC, collect loot or levies from the people crossing the Dardenelles
15. 2000-100Bc, trade routes became longer
16. Mediterranean: winter, summer: only seasons
a. water: problematic, less than 2 inches of rain per month
b. goat, sheep, hog: figure largely into the rural economy
c. meat & dairy: small place in diet
d. lowlands couldn’t feed a large population
e. grains, olives, vines: staple crops
f. terraces had to be erected for hill-side farming
g. olive oil, the butter & lard
h. water, tea, coffee, beer, wine.
i. waterworks had to be built for Mediterranean cities
j. artificial irrigation was required
k. colonies were established on the Black Sea coast
Crete
1. fairly large island
b. temperate climate
c. fertile, well watered soil
d. large forests for shipbuilders
e. copper & clay
f. shellfish > dye was extracted
g. imported Spanish metals & British tin
h. overthrown about 1400 BC
Phoenicia
1. narrow belt of the Syrian coast
2. natural resources, good location (better than Crete!)
3. cedar, cyprus & oak trees
4. Carthage, took control of W. Sicily
5. built warships, hired mercenaries
6. Africa: gold, ivory, ebony, ostrich feathers, precious stones, slaves-brought across Sahara or by ships
7. Phoenicians added industry to commerce
8. copied Mesopotamian/Egyptian methods & patterns
9. Tyrian purple, expensive, for royalty
Greeks
1. not the 1st people to occupy the S. part of the Balkins
2. lived in small city-states, ports, nests of warriors
3. disturbance between 1200 and 1000 BC, Greeks come to Aegean
4. herded & grew grain
5. exploited mineral deposits
6. depended on “mother cities” for capital goods
7. produced oil, wine, manufactured goods, exchanged for grain
8. Corinth/Athens: depended almost entirely on imported food
9. Athens depended on Egypt & S. Russia
10. Seythian alliance to get grain
11. public officials needed store houses to feed the population
Land Problems,
1. land was divided into small & large estates
2. small farmers needed to borrow for seeds, animals, equipment, pest killers
3. higher interest rates for small farmers
4. aristocrat/bourgeois: common enemy in farmer’s class struggle
5. Solon the Lawgiver cancelled many debts
6. farmers produced goods
7. large estates/temples: freedman, slaves & women worked
Slave Labor
1. Greek industry relied heavily on slave labor
2. Near East/ Europe: a lot of slavery
3. common part of labor structure
4. POWs, people captured by pirates, children of slaves worked as slaves...
5. slaves could have simple rural training or developed professional skills
6. slaves might till at a farm or work at the oar of a galley
7. slaves could work as policeman, domestic servants, craftsman, salesman or clerks
8. p. 32 slaves could marry & own property
9. slaves could get a portion of owner’s receipts, emancipation or both
Commerce & Currency
1. Greek foreign trade was virtually all sea trade
2. a lot of risks involved in shipping trade
3. stated weight of copper unit
4. Lydia in Asia Minor minted coins
5. King Croesus, author of innovation
6 Mt. Laurium near Athens was rich in silver/lead ore
7. lead was used for roofs, pipes, & domestic utensils (poisoning...)
8. slaves extracted the silver/lead, state owned mine, private industries paid a royalty to the state
9. coins changed the nature of wealth
10. easier to store, accumulate, consume, invest, lend,
11. money changer, banker, valuables were stored with him
12. city-state: city with a small rural area around it
13. cities were rivals
14. geography, history, competition
15. Athens built up an anti-Persian confederation
16. Peloponnesian War (431-404) attack on Athens
Hellenistic Period
1. Philip of Macedon absorbed the peninsula
2. Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor, overthrew Persian empire
3. Alexander’s empire was a military creation
4. Egypt, Asia, Macedon
5. Greek exports declined, couldn’t import enough food
6. Alexander, economic & intellectual metropolis of the whole Hellenic world
7. Greeks handled Chinese goods!
8. large boats were built, postal services were created, harbors were improved, lighthouses were erected, pirates were suppressed
9. Persians allowed water supplies to fall into disrepair
10. Alexander took Persian emperor’s gold, gave large bonuses to soldiers,
11. built new cities, administration and luxuries
12 Ptolemies, new kings of Egypt, installed Greek efficiency experts to increase productivity
13. prosperity didn’t last consistently
14. kings of Egypt/W. Asia fought each other, tried to ruin each other’s economies
15. peasants felt over-taxed
16. the Romans came east and conquered
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Economic History Of Europe, p. 1-18
Introduction, The Context Of Economic History
1. Economic history, man’s struggle to satisfy his material wants
2. fundamental needs: food, shelter
3. elaborate food & dwelling space
4. wish to accumulate more wealth
5. desire for greater economic, political, social power
6. housewives WERE busy
7. less developed: extremely high %age of the population works
Three Primary Factors
1. physical environment
a. kind of soil, kind of climate
b. waterfalls can be used to provide power
2. equipment & knowledge available: technological advancement
a. Stone Age men couldn’t fell trees
b. plow had to be devised to break up heavy clay
c. pumps had to be developed to prevent mines from being flooded
d. refrigeration had to be developed
e. improvements in mining technology, agriculture, industry, transportation, trading, banking, transferring $ from buyer to seller, keeping accounts
f. the last two centuries have brought rapid change
g. tradition: very little determination to find new ways of doing things
3. social environment
a. man is a social animal
b. man is a member of a group or groups
c. family: companionship of the other sex, working team, division of labor, sense of solidarity, kept together for the infant
d. rural families: produced most of the foods/manufactured articles they consumed
e. families are not a world unto themselves
f. families are part of a larger community, village > small town > large territory
g. division of labor: each individual concentrates on their own tasks
h. production can become commodities for the market
i. organization of capital
j. entrepreneur/enterpriser: provided water supplies, canals or other services
k. entrepreneur has to rely on others for what he lacks
l. craftsman may train other journeymen & borrow raw materials/credit
m. large manufacturer may provide material & have men work out of their homes
Question
1. costs to be paid by the entrepreneur
2. price he gets for his product when he takes it to the market
3. the profit/loss left after meeting his costs
4. organization of enterprise created recognizable classes: landlords, planters, slaves, serfs, tenant farmers, peasant proprietors, farm laborers, merchants, big industrialists, craftsmen, wage earners, investors
5. discontent/suffering/envy of the more successful/powerful may occur.
6. agitation for reform + help from the state may occur
Religion & Politics
1. every society has its priesthood
2. church may influence the wealth-getting of the faithful
3. Hinduism placed restraints on economic activity
4. Islam/Christianity influenced economic activity
The State
1. always engaged in some economic enterprises of its own
2. rulers had estates, mines, workshops
3. government may own railroads, ships, light & power plants, factories, banks, the postal service
4. the state has always protected, aided, regulated the enterprise of its people
a. laws determine rights and obligations
b. laws define property & contract
c. provides roads, harbors, lighthouses, water supplies, controls, currency
d. tariffs/prohibitions on imports, bounties/subsidies to specific industries, discriminating against foreign ships
e. claims a share of the income produced by the people, power to tax/confiscate
f. power to conscript individuals for military service, road work, or other types of labor
g. government was to advance individual rights
h. totalitarian governments exercised absolute power over economic life
i. Marx’s economic interpretation of history: mode of production creates social relationships & hierarchies
j. government is the servant of the most powerful economic class, and laws are the expression of the will of that class
k. political, religious, intellectual, military causes are secondary
l. Europe: birthplace of most of the development of ideas, technology & organization
m. Europe stimulated development in the New World
Ch. I Overview
a. prehistory, human race emerged as a distinct species of animal
b. the human discovered new ways of working, created new products, made tools
Ch. II Overview
a. 5,000-6,000 years ago, favorable environment of Egypt, Mesopotamia & NW India
b. elaborate economic & political societies were built
Ch. III Overview
a. 4,000-5,000 years ago
b. discoveries/developments of W. Asia & NE Africa were influencing Europe
Primitive Man
1. advanced food gathering capacity by collecting wild plants, nuts, fruits, grasses, slow moving animals & insects
2. devised hunting & fishing traps & weapons, captured beasts of fleet, foot, fin, wing
3. domesticated animals: 5,000 BC, farm animals were tamed
a. dogs helped with hunting
b. cows, goats, sheep, swine: useful flesh & hides, milk, fleece or fibers
c. ox: draft animal, used plow/wheel
d. ass/camel: draft animal, horse was of limited value
e. the ox was a more valued/versatile animal until the Middle Ages
f. before 6,000BC, barley and emmer were cultivated near the Tigris & Euphrates rivers, Syria, Egypt, the Danube Valley,
g. 2,000 BC: barley in France, Britain, Spain
h. pointed stick/crude hoe broke the earth, slow laborious process
i. Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus: nature helped
j. water, silt, sun made agriculture easy
k. Europe: no rivers, harder work, smaller yield
The Development of Industries
1. tools made from wood, flint, bone, horn, fiber, hide
2. hammers, knives, scrapers, awls, needles, weapons, hunting/fishing gear were made
3. learned to make fire > baking, grilling, smelting
4. pottery appeared, containers for food storage
5. brewing & wine provided beverages
6. skins > cloth for clothing, tanning as an industry increased
7. developments: pottery, cloth-making, leatherwork, domesticated plants, domesticated animals,
8. skilled craftsman emerged
9. flints, furs, fish, shells were traded
10. gold, silver, copper, lead: scarce, soft, desirable ornaments
11. copper: bad ax > bronze: hard metal
12. bronze: for craftsman & the rich
13. 1500 BC, widespread use of iron, NE Asia Minor
14. 1000 BC, iron weapons overthrew a bronze using aristocracy, metals were scarce commodities
15. appropriation without production: live by stealing from others, priests took much from their peoples
(page 13) The River Valley Civilizations
1. growing technical capacity in agriculture/industry
2. mature development in Egypt, W. Asia
3. 3,000 BC, elaborate governments, highly organized religions, system of writing, knowledge of numbers, a calendar
4. everything depended on the river
5. yield could be made large
6. farmer could produce more for myself
7. extra food for manufacturing, trading, priestly, ruling classes
8. substantial industrial, commercial, religious & political urban superstructure
9. grand-scale projects are required
10. a 750 mile irrigation project of the Lower Nile was undertaken by priests
11. kings, temples, nobles owned large estates, drew produce from their farms, mines & workshops, made profits from trading & financial enterprises
12. elites used slaves/hired laborers & gathered the yield into their own granaries, cellars, wardrobes, purses
13. temples, type of landowner in Mesopotamia
a. directed irrigation
b. assigned each person a piece of land
c. loaned rations/seed out of storehouses
d. claimed workers produce as rent, interest, principal or tithe
e. temples conducted much production & trade
f. church & state were deep in “big business”
g. palaces, temples, pyramid tombs, giant statues, fortifications, building for the wealthy
h. tombs had a high level of arts & crafts
i. goldsmith’s skill was measured by gold coffins/statues & precious stones
j. gold, ebony, silver, ivory decorated cabinets
Trade & Trade Routes
1. few of the materials could be obtained @ home
2. Egypt had to take things by force or develop foreign trade
3. linen, glass, wool, vegetable oils were exported
4. gold & ivory came from central Africa, Asia, Syria, Asia Minor
5. Monsoon winds would blow ships from Red Sea to India & back again
6. the “Great Road” started @ the Nile delta, crossed as Suez isthmus and turned N. to Syria
7. clay tablets kept trading records
8. 2100 BC, Code of Hammurabi
9. great division of labor in Mesopotamia
10. laws regulating apprenticeship, mortgages, leases, promissory notes, seed loans, interest rates, partnerships & for doctors that operate unsuccessfully, tenants that don’t keep their dikes clean, exorbitant prices, excessive interest rates
11. simple farming technique + ambitious state water control > extracted a large product from rich soil
12. a new urban population of specialized craftsman, merchants, priests, officials & clerks was developed
13. higher standard of living for peasants in the fertile crescent than Africans/Asiatics who lived away from the fertile banks
1. Economic history, man’s struggle to satisfy his material wants
2. fundamental needs: food, shelter
3. elaborate food & dwelling space
4. wish to accumulate more wealth
5. desire for greater economic, political, social power
6. housewives WERE busy
7. less developed: extremely high %age of the population works
Three Primary Factors
1. physical environment
a. kind of soil, kind of climate
b. waterfalls can be used to provide power
2. equipment & knowledge available: technological advancement
a. Stone Age men couldn’t fell trees
b. plow had to be devised to break up heavy clay
c. pumps had to be developed to prevent mines from being flooded
d. refrigeration had to be developed
e. improvements in mining technology, agriculture, industry, transportation, trading, banking, transferring $ from buyer to seller, keeping accounts
f. the last two centuries have brought rapid change
g. tradition: very little determination to find new ways of doing things
3. social environment
a. man is a social animal
b. man is a member of a group or groups
c. family: companionship of the other sex, working team, division of labor, sense of solidarity, kept together for the infant
d. rural families: produced most of the foods/manufactured articles they consumed
e. families are not a world unto themselves
f. families are part of a larger community, village > small town > large territory
g. division of labor: each individual concentrates on their own tasks
h. production can become commodities for the market
i. organization of capital
j. entrepreneur/enterpriser: provided water supplies, canals or other services
k. entrepreneur has to rely on others for what he lacks
l. craftsman may train other journeymen & borrow raw materials/credit
m. large manufacturer may provide material & have men work out of their homes
Question
1. costs to be paid by the entrepreneur
2. price he gets for his product when he takes it to the market
3. the profit/loss left after meeting his costs
4. organization of enterprise created recognizable classes: landlords, planters, slaves, serfs, tenant farmers, peasant proprietors, farm laborers, merchants, big industrialists, craftsmen, wage earners, investors
5. discontent/suffering/envy of the more successful/powerful may occur.
6. agitation for reform + help from the state may occur
Religion & Politics
1. every society has its priesthood
2. church may influence the wealth-getting of the faithful
3. Hinduism placed restraints on economic activity
4. Islam/Christianity influenced economic activity
The State
1. always engaged in some economic enterprises of its own
2. rulers had estates, mines, workshops
3. government may own railroads, ships, light & power plants, factories, banks, the postal service
4. the state has always protected, aided, regulated the enterprise of its people
a. laws determine rights and obligations
b. laws define property & contract
c. provides roads, harbors, lighthouses, water supplies, controls, currency
d. tariffs/prohibitions on imports, bounties/subsidies to specific industries, discriminating against foreign ships
e. claims a share of the income produced by the people, power to tax/confiscate
f. power to conscript individuals for military service, road work, or other types of labor
g. government was to advance individual rights
h. totalitarian governments exercised absolute power over economic life
i. Marx’s economic interpretation of history: mode of production creates social relationships & hierarchies
j. government is the servant of the most powerful economic class, and laws are the expression of the will of that class
k. political, religious, intellectual, military causes are secondary
l. Europe: birthplace of most of the development of ideas, technology & organization
m. Europe stimulated development in the New World
Ch. I Overview
a. prehistory, human race emerged as a distinct species of animal
b. the human discovered new ways of working, created new products, made tools
Ch. II Overview
a. 5,000-6,000 years ago, favorable environment of Egypt, Mesopotamia & NW India
b. elaborate economic & political societies were built
Ch. III Overview
a. 4,000-5,000 years ago
b. discoveries/developments of W. Asia & NE Africa were influencing Europe
Primitive Man
1. advanced food gathering capacity by collecting wild plants, nuts, fruits, grasses, slow moving animals & insects
2. devised hunting & fishing traps & weapons, captured beasts of fleet, foot, fin, wing
3. domesticated animals: 5,000 BC, farm animals were tamed
a. dogs helped with hunting
b. cows, goats, sheep, swine: useful flesh & hides, milk, fleece or fibers
c. ox: draft animal, used plow/wheel
d. ass/camel: draft animal, horse was of limited value
e. the ox was a more valued/versatile animal until the Middle Ages
f. before 6,000BC, barley and emmer were cultivated near the Tigris & Euphrates rivers, Syria, Egypt, the Danube Valley,
g. 2,000 BC: barley in France, Britain, Spain
h. pointed stick/crude hoe broke the earth, slow laborious process
i. Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus: nature helped
j. water, silt, sun made agriculture easy
k. Europe: no rivers, harder work, smaller yield
The Development of Industries
1. tools made from wood, flint, bone, horn, fiber, hide
2. hammers, knives, scrapers, awls, needles, weapons, hunting/fishing gear were made
3. learned to make fire > baking, grilling, smelting
4. pottery appeared, containers for food storage
5. brewing & wine provided beverages
6. skins > cloth for clothing, tanning as an industry increased
7. developments: pottery, cloth-making, leatherwork, domesticated plants, domesticated animals,
8. skilled craftsman emerged
9. flints, furs, fish, shells were traded
10. gold, silver, copper, lead: scarce, soft, desirable ornaments
11. copper: bad ax > bronze: hard metal
12. bronze: for craftsman & the rich
13. 1500 BC, widespread use of iron, NE Asia Minor
14. 1000 BC, iron weapons overthrew a bronze using aristocracy, metals were scarce commodities
15. appropriation without production: live by stealing from others, priests took much from their peoples
(page 13) The River Valley Civilizations
1. growing technical capacity in agriculture/industry
2. mature development in Egypt, W. Asia
3. 3,000 BC, elaborate governments, highly organized religions, system of writing, knowledge of numbers, a calendar
4. everything depended on the river
5. yield could be made large
6. farmer could produce more for myself
7. extra food for manufacturing, trading, priestly, ruling classes
8. substantial industrial, commercial, religious & political urban superstructure
9. grand-scale projects are required
10. a 750 mile irrigation project of the Lower Nile was undertaken by priests
11. kings, temples, nobles owned large estates, drew produce from their farms, mines & workshops, made profits from trading & financial enterprises
12. elites used slaves/hired laborers & gathered the yield into their own granaries, cellars, wardrobes, purses
13. temples, type of landowner in Mesopotamia
a. directed irrigation
b. assigned each person a piece of land
c. loaned rations/seed out of storehouses
d. claimed workers produce as rent, interest, principal or tithe
e. temples conducted much production & trade
f. church & state were deep in “big business”
g. palaces, temples, pyramid tombs, giant statues, fortifications, building for the wealthy
h. tombs had a high level of arts & crafts
i. goldsmith’s skill was measured by gold coffins/statues & precious stones
j. gold, ebony, silver, ivory decorated cabinets
Trade & Trade Routes
1. few of the materials could be obtained @ home
2. Egypt had to take things by force or develop foreign trade
3. linen, glass, wool, vegetable oils were exported
4. gold & ivory came from central Africa, Asia, Syria, Asia Minor
5. Monsoon winds would blow ships from Red Sea to India & back again
6. the “Great Road” started @ the Nile delta, crossed as Suez isthmus and turned N. to Syria
7. clay tablets kept trading records
8. 2100 BC, Code of Hammurabi
9. great division of labor in Mesopotamia
10. laws regulating apprenticeship, mortgages, leases, promissory notes, seed loans, interest rates, partnerships & for doctors that operate unsuccessfully, tenants that don’t keep their dikes clean, exorbitant prices, excessive interest rates
11. simple farming technique + ambitious state water control > extracted a large product from rich soil
12. a new urban population of specialized craftsman, merchants, priests, officials & clerks was developed
13. higher standard of living for peasants in the fertile crescent than Africans/Asiatics who lived away from the fertile banks
Friday, October 9, 2009
Imperialism: A Study, p. 1 -40
Imperialism: A Study
1. threatens to break down the political isolation of the USA
2. principles which underlie imperialist policy
3. close to nationalism, internationalism, colonialism
4. nationalism: Greece, Servia, Romania, Bulgaria broke from Ottoman rule
5. Austria-Hungary created, Norway & Sweden & the Swiss Federation
6. Holland, Poland, Belgium, Norway, Balkans: engaged in national struggles
7. Prussia became a great nation
8. revival of decaying customs, language, literature & art
9. identity: community of language & religion help define it
10. colonialism: moving your citizens to another nation, become separate nations or are enwrapped in political bondage
11. colonialism: overthrow of nationality
12. rival nationalities must be assimilated
13. pax Romana: full civic rights for citizens, Rome led to the Holy Roman Empire
14. Charles V: got Austria, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Sicily & Naples under his imperial rule
15. Dante, Vico, Machiavelli, Kant: empire is a hierarchy of states
16. Lessing, Kant, Goethe, Rousseau, Lavater, Condorcet, Priestly, Gibbon, Franklin: became citizens of the world
17. Kant was interested in Parisian life more than Russia
18. cosmopolitanism faded, nationalism marked the next century
19. socialism: struggle with bureaucracy & capitalism
20. nationalism: leads to internationalism
21. coexistent empires following each own imperial career of territorial/industrial aggrandisement are natural enemies, “fight for markets”
22. scramble for Africa/Asia
23. earth hunger, struggle for markets
24. material gain influenced Russia/Germany
25. Great Britain: imperialist, colonies in Africa & Asia
26. Britain had colonies in India
27. native/feudal states in India
28. 25,000,000 in British India
29. 420,000,000 in the British empire, 50,000,000 are British race/speech
30. 1880s: imperialism reaches a peak
31. Franco-German War
32. 1880, German tries to increase commerce abroad
33. French expanded empire into Senegal & the Sahara
34. Italy owned the northern colony of Eritrea in East Africa
35. Spain: retired from imperial competition
36. Russia, expansionist country of the north, Asiatic in its achievements, imperial boundaries were extended.
37. USA annexed Hawaii, & took over relics of the ancient Spanish empire
38. three types of British colonial possessions: 1) crown has entire control of legislation, 2) colonies have representative institution, crown can veto legislation, 3) colonies with representative institutions & responsible government, crown only has a veto on legislation
39. no single British colony with responsible self government was established
40. protectorates are subject to the absolute rule of the British government
41. closer & dramatic imperial control over the territories that have been annexed
42. “lower races” prevent British settlement in some places, self government in Australia & Canada
43. new imperialism didn’t extend the political & civil liberties of the mother country
44. tropical/subtropical lands were claimed, lands were thickly populated by “lower races”
The Commercial Value Of Imperialism, Chapter II
1. Great Britain depended primarily on foreign trade
2. 1/6 of the nation’s income comes from production of goods for export
3. an effective demand at home will keep workers employed
4. foreign markets are a necessity for Britain
5. higher profits when goods are sold abroad
6. external trade: home trade
7. physical necessities, conveniences > distribution, official, personal services
8. 1905, external trade is less important to Britain’s economy
9. value of foreign trade per capita declined in Britain
10. Boer War: increase of exports to colonies
11. no support for “trade follows the flag.”
12. imports grew faster than exports for Britain
13. other countries depended less on Britain for goods
14. France, Germany, Russia, USA wanted to expand
15. India, self-governing?
16. possessions didn’t usually belong to a self-governing group
17. Australia/Canada: wanted to be independent
18. a lot of trade with the Far East occurred
19. Lancashire, cheapest textile goods
20. Birmingham/Sheffield: cheapest metal goods
1. threatens to break down the political isolation of the USA
2. principles which underlie imperialist policy
3. close to nationalism, internationalism, colonialism
4. nationalism: Greece, Servia, Romania, Bulgaria broke from Ottoman rule
5. Austria-Hungary created, Norway & Sweden & the Swiss Federation
6. Holland, Poland, Belgium, Norway, Balkans: engaged in national struggles
7. Prussia became a great nation
8. revival of decaying customs, language, literature & art
9. identity: community of language & religion help define it
10. colonialism: moving your citizens to another nation, become separate nations or are enwrapped in political bondage
11. colonialism: overthrow of nationality
12. rival nationalities must be assimilated
13. pax Romana: full civic rights for citizens, Rome led to the Holy Roman Empire
14. Charles V: got Austria, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Sicily & Naples under his imperial rule
15. Dante, Vico, Machiavelli, Kant: empire is a hierarchy of states
16. Lessing, Kant, Goethe, Rousseau, Lavater, Condorcet, Priestly, Gibbon, Franklin: became citizens of the world
17. Kant was interested in Parisian life more than Russia
18. cosmopolitanism faded, nationalism marked the next century
19. socialism: struggle with bureaucracy & capitalism
20. nationalism: leads to internationalism
21. coexistent empires following each own imperial career of territorial/industrial aggrandisement are natural enemies, “fight for markets”
22. scramble for Africa/Asia
23. earth hunger, struggle for markets
24. material gain influenced Russia/Germany
25. Great Britain: imperialist, colonies in Africa & Asia
26. Britain had colonies in India
27. native/feudal states in India
28. 25,000,000 in British India
29. 420,000,000 in the British empire, 50,000,000 are British race/speech
30. 1880s: imperialism reaches a peak
31. Franco-German War
32. 1880, German tries to increase commerce abroad
33. French expanded empire into Senegal & the Sahara
34. Italy owned the northern colony of Eritrea in East Africa
35. Spain: retired from imperial competition
36. Russia, expansionist country of the north, Asiatic in its achievements, imperial boundaries were extended.
37. USA annexed Hawaii, & took over relics of the ancient Spanish empire
38. three types of British colonial possessions: 1) crown has entire control of legislation, 2) colonies have representative institution, crown can veto legislation, 3) colonies with representative institutions & responsible government, crown only has a veto on legislation
39. no single British colony with responsible self government was established
40. protectorates are subject to the absolute rule of the British government
41. closer & dramatic imperial control over the territories that have been annexed
42. “lower races” prevent British settlement in some places, self government in Australia & Canada
43. new imperialism didn’t extend the political & civil liberties of the mother country
44. tropical/subtropical lands were claimed, lands were thickly populated by “lower races”
The Commercial Value Of Imperialism, Chapter II
1. Great Britain depended primarily on foreign trade
2. 1/6 of the nation’s income comes from production of goods for export
3. an effective demand at home will keep workers employed
4. foreign markets are a necessity for Britain
5. higher profits when goods are sold abroad
6. external trade: home trade
7. physical necessities, conveniences > distribution, official, personal services
8. 1905, external trade is less important to Britain’s economy
9. value of foreign trade per capita declined in Britain
10. Boer War: increase of exports to colonies
11. no support for “trade follows the flag.”
12. imports grew faster than exports for Britain
13. other countries depended less on Britain for goods
14. France, Germany, Russia, USA wanted to expand
15. India, self-governing?
16. possessions didn’t usually belong to a self-governing group
17. Australia/Canada: wanted to be independent
18. a lot of trade with the Far East occurred
19. Lancashire, cheapest textile goods
20. Birmingham/Sheffield: cheapest metal goods
Ch. 3, The Roman World
Ch.3 The Roman World
1. Were the Romans ignored by the economic historian?
2. city of Rome: never a great commercial or industrial center
3. Rome was a sponge, received tribute, took goods from the conquered
4. agriculture, industry, trade: Rome made few improvements
Birth of the Roman Economy
1. farmers in Latium
2. Etruscans in the N.
3. Etruscans: well developed agriculture, mining, industry & trade
4. Etruscan/Greek society were more advanced
5. patricians ran the government & did the fighting
6. plebian class: small landowner, tenant, artisan, trader
7. 7 easy hills to protect
8. all roads by land & sea led to Rome
9. 500 BC, Rome becomes a republic
10. patrician: agriculture, politics, war
11. Sicily: rich in grain, oil & sulphur
12. 1st Punic War: Rome won Sicily, destroyed Carthage’s sea power
13. 2nd Punic war: destroyed Carthage’s rule of Spain
14. 3rd: Carthage, Corinth destroyed, people made into slaves
15. 5 centuries of warfare to build the empire
Costs Of War
1. peacetime maintenance of the navy & army
2. expenses: human & material of campaigns
3. the defense & administration of conquered colonies
a. patricians had expensive armor, horses, chariots, weapons.
b. infantry became important, a militia was developed
c. poor men were given weapons & paid a wage
d. 2* some campaigns were costly
e. life, property were massively destroyed in the 2nd Punic War
f. 3* a lot of infrastructure + more citizens were needed to restore conquered communities
g. Hellenistic monarchs had plenty of gold Romans took
h. Spain, Britain, Gaul: little loot
i. 10% of crops were taken + poll & sales tax
j. public lands could go to veterans
k. 2nd punic war: Italian farmers suffered
l. import depressed grain prices
m. patricians were banned from trade, public contracting & banking
n. latifundum, unit of soil
o. cheap land, cheap labor & plenty of capital
p. war > Pax Romana > slaves were no longer cheap
q. baking, weaving, building: domestic careers, luxury goods were imported
r. Tiberius & Caius, program for the poor
s. landless peasants got land from eminent domain + urban poor received grain @ half price.
t. financiers collected the tribute
u. 57 BC, grain was free, 300,000 were getting free bread & circuses
v. imperial rule: less confusion, corruption, strife than the republican period
w. two centuries of relative peace & prosperity
x. 1,300,000 square miles of land became a political unit
y. intertribal wars of Gaul & Britain stopped
z. roads were built, patrols reduced theft
1. uniform coinage, weights & measured were introduced
2. products that could be transported had a larger market
3. retired soldiers became settlers
48
a. officials developed estates
b. more lead, tin, iron deposits were mined from Great Britain
c. Gaul, a lot of fertile land
d. Spain: chief metal mine
e. miners at New Carthage, 40,000 workers
f. grain, wine, oil & fruits were produced
g. Germans: new farming methods, learned some handicrafts
h. Eastern Provinces: Hellenians were more advanced, production, trade, sciences, arts.
i. Athens became a university town
j. peace was worth paying tributes for
k. a whole portion of Egypt went to the Roman emperor
l. Augusta: wanted rent/taxes for grain
m. tributes & profits from capitalists supported the city of Rome
n. flour, bread, cloth, luxury goods, building, unloading of ships, entertaining populace, domestic service, government service
o. only exports: law & government
p. Asis: spices, incense, ointments, drugs, cottons, Indian metals, precious stone, Chinese silk, dyes, horses, parrots, wild beasts for the circus
q. direct shipping from Red Sea to India became possible
r. transport costs on land were high, lower on water
s. Gaul: had its own glass & pottery industry
t. small weight/size goods were imported for the rich
u. inter-province trade might occur with high-bulk of goods on rivers/seaways
v. Rome’s construction industry-well-developed
w. reservoirs, aquaducts, pipelines supplied water
x. temples, forums, triumphal arches, amphitheaters, stadia, markethalls, baths, villas with central heating: required a large amount of architectural skill
y. cement & long beams were utilized
z. fradulent contractors built an aquaduct that didn’t work
1. eastern Mediteranean craftsman were superior
2. war, politics, agriculture: for aristocrats
3. slaves did most of the making and selling
4. slavery widespread in Italy & Greece
5. slaves often became freedman and amassed great wealth
6. guilds: common ideas, faith, economic interest, pleasure.
7. friendly society, burial brotherhood & luncheon club
8. 1st two centuries of the Christian era: peace, prosperity
9. a lot of able, hard-working, intelligent people in charge
10. merchants, financiers, contractors, investors, large landowners prospered
AD 200
1. borders were not defended
2. 6,000 miles of frontier is a lot to defend
3. areas behind the Danube & Rhine had to be abandoned
4. Diocletian tried to rescue the empire
5. Constantine ruled the eastern half
6. western half: barbarians were filtering in
7. economy was mainly agricultural
8. little technical innovation to improve productivity
9. more taxation: bad, less productivity & less income, bad
10. plague, civil war, barbarian attacks destroyed capital & labor in nearly every province
11. a larger army & civil service were required
12. debasement of currency, unbalanced budgets, taxation, forced unpaid labor.
13. poll tax, land tax, duties, sales tax, inheritance tax,
14. emperor, civil service, army, municipality: 4 pillars of empire
15. middle class felt overtaxed
16. guilds gave out bread, oil, wine,
17. guilds were exempt from military service but had to do unpaid service
18. membership in the guild was hereditary, couldn’t escape
19. land, reasserted itself as a source of income
20. Spain, Gaul, Britain, Rumania: many land grants to veterans
21. peace reduced slave labor
22. coloni: free tenants
23. smaller plots to slaves, servi
24. colunus was originally free, 332: bound to the estate
25. free peasants, runaway slaves, & harassed townsmen might seek protection under the landlord
26. landlord: erected barriers, defended property, collected taxes, tried cases in his own court.
27. self-sufficient economic & administrative unit
28. market, church, mill & jail
29. Rome: patricians, small farmers & slaves
1. Were the Romans ignored by the economic historian?
2. city of Rome: never a great commercial or industrial center
3. Rome was a sponge, received tribute, took goods from the conquered
4. agriculture, industry, trade: Rome made few improvements
Birth of the Roman Economy
1. farmers in Latium
2. Etruscans in the N.
3. Etruscans: well developed agriculture, mining, industry & trade
4. Etruscan/Greek society were more advanced
5. patricians ran the government & did the fighting
6. plebian class: small landowner, tenant, artisan, trader
7. 7 easy hills to protect
8. all roads by land & sea led to Rome
9. 500 BC, Rome becomes a republic
10. patrician: agriculture, politics, war
11. Sicily: rich in grain, oil & sulphur
12. 1st Punic War: Rome won Sicily, destroyed Carthage’s sea power
13. 2nd Punic war: destroyed Carthage’s rule of Spain
14. 3rd: Carthage, Corinth destroyed, people made into slaves
15. 5 centuries of warfare to build the empire
Costs Of War
1. peacetime maintenance of the navy & army
2. expenses: human & material of campaigns
3. the defense & administration of conquered colonies
a. patricians had expensive armor, horses, chariots, weapons.
b. infantry became important, a militia was developed
c. poor men were given weapons & paid a wage
d. 2* some campaigns were costly
e. life, property were massively destroyed in the 2nd Punic War
f. 3* a lot of infrastructure + more citizens were needed to restore conquered communities
g. Hellenistic monarchs had plenty of gold Romans took
h. Spain, Britain, Gaul: little loot
i. 10% of crops were taken + poll & sales tax
j. public lands could go to veterans
k. 2nd punic war: Italian farmers suffered
l. import depressed grain prices
m. patricians were banned from trade, public contracting & banking
n. latifundum, unit of soil
o. cheap land, cheap labor & plenty of capital
p. war > Pax Romana > slaves were no longer cheap
q. baking, weaving, building: domestic careers, luxury goods were imported
r. Tiberius & Caius, program for the poor
s. landless peasants got land from eminent domain + urban poor received grain @ half price.
t. financiers collected the tribute
u. 57 BC, grain was free, 300,000 were getting free bread & circuses
v. imperial rule: less confusion, corruption, strife than the republican period
w. two centuries of relative peace & prosperity
x. 1,300,000 square miles of land became a political unit
y. intertribal wars of Gaul & Britain stopped
z. roads were built, patrols reduced theft
1. uniform coinage, weights & measured were introduced
2. products that could be transported had a larger market
3. retired soldiers became settlers
48
a. officials developed estates
b. more lead, tin, iron deposits were mined from Great Britain
c. Gaul, a lot of fertile land
d. Spain: chief metal mine
e. miners at New Carthage, 40,000 workers
f. grain, wine, oil & fruits were produced
g. Germans: new farming methods, learned some handicrafts
h. Eastern Provinces: Hellenians were more advanced, production, trade, sciences, arts.
i. Athens became a university town
j. peace was worth paying tributes for
k. a whole portion of Egypt went to the Roman emperor
l. Augusta: wanted rent/taxes for grain
m. tributes & profits from capitalists supported the city of Rome
n. flour, bread, cloth, luxury goods, building, unloading of ships, entertaining populace, domestic service, government service
o. only exports: law & government
p. Asis: spices, incense, ointments, drugs, cottons, Indian metals, precious stone, Chinese silk, dyes, horses, parrots, wild beasts for the circus
q. direct shipping from Red Sea to India became possible
r. transport costs on land were high, lower on water
s. Gaul: had its own glass & pottery industry
t. small weight/size goods were imported for the rich
u. inter-province trade might occur with high-bulk of goods on rivers/seaways
v. Rome’s construction industry-well-developed
w. reservoirs, aquaducts, pipelines supplied water
x. temples, forums, triumphal arches, amphitheaters, stadia, markethalls, baths, villas with central heating: required a large amount of architectural skill
y. cement & long beams were utilized
z. fradulent contractors built an aquaduct that didn’t work
1. eastern Mediteranean craftsman were superior
2. war, politics, agriculture: for aristocrats
3. slaves did most of the making and selling
4. slavery widespread in Italy & Greece
5. slaves often became freedman and amassed great wealth
6. guilds: common ideas, faith, economic interest, pleasure.
7. friendly society, burial brotherhood & luncheon club
8. 1st two centuries of the Christian era: peace, prosperity
9. a lot of able, hard-working, intelligent people in charge
10. merchants, financiers, contractors, investors, large landowners prospered
AD 200
1. borders were not defended
2. 6,000 miles of frontier is a lot to defend
3. areas behind the Danube & Rhine had to be abandoned
4. Diocletian tried to rescue the empire
5. Constantine ruled the eastern half
6. western half: barbarians were filtering in
7. economy was mainly agricultural
8. little technical innovation to improve productivity
9. more taxation: bad, less productivity & less income, bad
10. plague, civil war, barbarian attacks destroyed capital & labor in nearly every province
11. a larger army & civil service were required
12. debasement of currency, unbalanced budgets, taxation, forced unpaid labor.
13. poll tax, land tax, duties, sales tax, inheritance tax,
14. emperor, civil service, army, municipality: 4 pillars of empire
15. middle class felt overtaxed
16. guilds gave out bread, oil, wine,
17. guilds were exempt from military service but had to do unpaid service
18. membership in the guild was hereditary, couldn’t escape
19. land, reasserted itself as a source of income
20. Spain, Gaul, Britain, Rumania: many land grants to veterans
21. peace reduced slave labor
22. coloni: free tenants
23. smaller plots to slaves, servi
24. colunus was originally free, 332: bound to the estate
25. free peasants, runaway slaves, & harassed townsmen might seek protection under the landlord
26. landlord: erected barriers, defended property, collected taxes, tried cases in his own court.
27. self-sufficient economic & administrative unit
28. market, church, mill & jail
29. Rome: patricians, small farmers & slaves
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Economics Class Notes, 10/06/2009
Class Notes, Economics 10/06/2009
1. Margaret Thatcher, privatization, deregulation, Anti-Communism, Miner’s strike
2. high unemployment under Thatcher
3. Thatcher broke up miner’s strikes
4. hated by the general public
5.
Rome
1. imported wheat, metals, luxury goods, labor supply
2. export: Roman law & government
3. better off to manufacture domestically?
Rome’s elite
1. agriculture
2. war
3. politics
Classes
1. elite: large villas in lovely climates, stressed?
2. traders, did well in 1st two centuries AD. Later: couldn’t trade without security
3. peasants, step above slaves, living conditions worsened, became little more than slaves
4. soldiers: veterans got land, well off?
5. slaves, had some opportunities during prosperous times
6. craftsman, faced a lot of competition from imports
Freedom
1. time on the cross
2. one kind of freedom
Infrastructure
1. roads/transportation: was empire beneficial?
European Union
1. national sovereignty can be undercut
Read: Hobson, preface, Ch. I & II
History Of Mercantilism
1. Economics in perspective
2. mercantilism: end of “merchants,”
3. merchant cities
4. voyages of discovery
5. inflation is a good thing for business
6. rise of the nation state, symbiotic relationship between state & merchants
7. focus on foreign trade, monopoly & an accumulation of gold
8. nations wanted a positive balance of trade to build up their gold supplies
9. Adam Smith criticized mercantilism
10. prices are lower without monopolies,
11. protectionist policies (tariffs, customs duties) Adam: pro-protectionism, create employment for you
12. free trade assumes full employment
USA: Colony for mercantilist Britain
1. economic self-sufficiency for Great Britain: don’t have to import for others. Ex. iron, naval supplies
2. generate export earnings from outsiders-tobacco
3. market for colonizer products, no iron foundries
4. acts of trade & navigation
1. Margaret Thatcher, privatization, deregulation, Anti-Communism, Miner’s strike
2. high unemployment under Thatcher
3. Thatcher broke up miner’s strikes
4. hated by the general public
5.
Rome
1. imported wheat, metals, luxury goods, labor supply
2. export: Roman law & government
3. better off to manufacture domestically?
Rome’s elite
1. agriculture
2. war
3. politics
Classes
1. elite: large villas in lovely climates, stressed?
2. traders, did well in 1st two centuries AD. Later: couldn’t trade without security
3. peasants, step above slaves, living conditions worsened, became little more than slaves
4. soldiers: veterans got land, well off?
5. slaves, had some opportunities during prosperous times
6. craftsman, faced a lot of competition from imports
Freedom
1. time on the cross
2. one kind of freedom
Infrastructure
1. roads/transportation: was empire beneficial?
European Union
1. national sovereignty can be undercut
Read: Hobson, preface, Ch. I & II
History Of Mercantilism
1. Economics in perspective
2. mercantilism: end of “merchants,”
3. merchant cities
4. voyages of discovery
5. inflation is a good thing for business
6. rise of the nation state, symbiotic relationship between state & merchants
7. focus on foreign trade, monopoly & an accumulation of gold
8. nations wanted a positive balance of trade to build up their gold supplies
9. Adam Smith criticized mercantilism
10. prices are lower without monopolies,
11. protectionist policies (tariffs, customs duties) Adam: pro-protectionism, create employment for you
12. free trade assumes full employment
USA: Colony for mercantilist Britain
1. economic self-sufficiency for Great Britain: don’t have to import for others. Ex. iron, naval supplies
2. generate export earnings from outsiders-tobacco
3. market for colonizer products, no iron foundries
4. acts of trade & navigation
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)