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Questions tagged [economy]

Questions which concern the historical management, distribution, and usage of resources; why a particular resource, or state of production, occurred in a certain way. General economics questions are off-topic but may be welcome on our sister site Economics Stack Exchange.

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7 votes
2 answers
534 views

Examples of censorship causing economic decline [closed]

I am writing a blog post about knowledge banning, either by state censorship or by self-imposed censorship, like the US Comics Code Authority of the 20th century. My focus is moral censorship, ...
Adam Matan's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
10k views

How has Chinese GDP as a percentage of world GDP changed over time and why?

I've heard it's 33% during the Qing dinasty. 4% during cultural revolution. Now it's climbing up steadily to 11%. Where can I see the table of those actually tracking those numbers? What were the ...
user4951's user avatar
  • 5,485
52 votes
7 answers
4k views

Has a state ever "attacked" another one by printing fake money?

Has any state ever performed an "economic attack" against another state, by printing fake money of the victim's currency? Or, is it known if someone ever considered doing it, and which were the ...
o0'.'s user avatar
  • 1,697
8 votes
5 answers
792 views

Is there a link between national debt/trade deficit and starting a war?

I saw in an article mentioning that there is a link between national debt and starting wars I don't recall where I've seen it mentioned to look for further references on the matter. Are there known ...
Eduard Florinescu's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
6k views

How much did helping the American Revolution cost France?

I recall reading somewhere that the expenses of the war were ruinous for France and that the gains didn't offset them, this being one of the causes that forced Louis XVI to convene the Estates ...
Felix Goldberg's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
284 views

Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900? [duplicate]

Has a country gone to war to seek payment of a debt since 1900? Expansionist policies don't count although use of debt as a justification would be interesting.
timpone's user avatar
  • 443
8 votes
0 answers
185 views

What was the societal wealth demographics when the major pyramids were built? [closed]

All this talk about wealth distribution (1% of US Citizens etc. etc.) got me wondering about the wealth distribution in other periods of history when - let's call them - great edifices were built. E....
New Alexandria's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

What is so special about the location of Mexico City?

Since 1325, the area we know today as Mexico City has held some sort of cultural or historical bond. The bond is so strong that, no matter what, no matter how bad a shape the country gets, they ...
dockeryZ's user avatar
  • 377
1 vote
8 answers
10k views

What factors contributed to the U.S economy flourishing during the early cold war period?

Wars, cold or otherwise, are bad for economies, right? So why did the American economy flourish during the early Cold War period (shortly after World War II)? I think there are several positive ...
Jill Clover's user avatar
22 votes
1 answer
7k views

How did the monks whose job was to copy books react to Gutenberg's printing press?

It's typical to see people whose job it is to perform a manual task to - collectively - object when a new technology is introduced which makes their job obsolete (as the quintessential example, see ...
DVK's user avatar
  • 17.6k
6 votes
3 answers
2k views

How did shells, bones, and other trinkets work as currency?

One often hears stories about civilised and pre-civilised societies using shells, bones, and other trinkets as currency. How exactly did this system work? Taking the example of shells, did they have ...
coleopterist's user avatar
  • 6,650
21 votes
3 answers
6k views

What was the value of the spice trade during the age of exploration?

One of the initial motivations for the Europeans in sending exploration voyages was to find cheap spices. To be worth such expensive and risky mission, spices must have been worth a lot and must have ...
Louis Rhys's user avatar
  • 6,879
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the purpose of the bridge to the Russkiy island? [closed]

Russky bridge is a bridge to a sparsely populated Russky island in the Far East whose construction started in 2008 and completed in 2012. It is the world's largest cable-stayed bridge, the 1104 m long ...
Anixx's user avatar
  • 32.3k
6 votes
1 answer
314 views

How easy one could start an artel in USSR after WW2 1945-1956?

During 1956-1960 all artels (cooperative enterprises) were nationalized in USSR. It was a large amount of artels. How easy was it to organize an artel before that, in the post-war period of 1945-...
user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

What surface area per person is required for hunter-gatherers?

I am sure I have read it somewhere, but I can't figure out in which book anymore (I think Steve Pinker's How the Mind Works) Most of human (pre-)history (and evolution) has happened in a foraging ...
neydroydrec's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
523 views

How would one have gone about setting up a business during Communist Revolutionary China?

In 1966, Mao Zedong launched a movement towards Socialism, to, solidify his power after a disastrous Great Leap Forward, called the Cultural Revolution. Though the movement moved towards a total ...
Russell's user avatar
  • 3,552
2 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is there a correlation or causation between generalized economic crises and world wars?

I don't recall where I heard in an interview or read in an article that there is a causation between economic crises and the two world wars, is there is historical truth in that? For the second war ...
Eduard Florinescu's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
4k views

How much has U.S. currency inflated since 1792?

How much has U.S. currency inflated since the Coinage Act of 1792 established the U.S. Mint? Adjusting for inflation, what amount of modern currency would have the same buying power as a 1792 dollar? ...
amcnabb's user avatar
  • 255
3 votes
1 answer
103 views

Increment of workers in agriculture during periods of economical crisis

Was there an increment of the percent of people working in the agricultural sector during the economical crises of the last couple of centuries? What are the factors influencing the ratio of farmers?
Vitaly Olegovitch's user avatar
5 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why is the USA the world's strongest country? [closed]

The USA has been the world's strongest country for a long time now. Even after the rise of China as one of the dominant economies in the world, the USA is still the world's top economy. Does the USA ...
user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
626 views

When and why China started to make a difference in the superpower arena?

China is starting to be more and more remarked on as a superpower, but this surely didn't happen overnight, so what would be that decade that was very auspicious for China and why?
Eduard Florinescu's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
304 views

Where can I find financial data for the first world war? [closed]

I want to analyse the first world war on the financial aspect. Here are some of my questions. Which countries borrowed money to win the war? Where were weapons manufactured? Where can I get ...
bodokaiser's user avatar
20 votes
4 answers
5k views

How was beer production affected by the war during WW2?

How did the war affect beer production during World War II? This is a follow-up question to this question at Seasoned Advice, which is gathering interesting food-science answers but which are are ...
SevenSidedDie's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
11k views

Which have been the most and least successful Olympics in terms of economic impact?

When discussing the Olympics, politicians are always keen to stress the economic benefits that will flow to the host city. A number of commentators in the media, though, have suggested that the bulk ...
lins314159's user avatar
  • 4,559
9 votes
3 answers
658 views

What are the effects of creating inflation to eliminate domestic debt?

T.E.D. commented on this answer: Sometimes (particularly in developing countries) they literally are printing more money. In the USA typically we increase the money supply to make up for some kind ...
Victor's user avatar
  • 703
-1 votes
1 answer
305 views

Has a country ever used an insurance company as a shield when the economy goes down? [closed]

Has a country ever used an insurance company as a shield when the economy goes down? I know that insurance companies have tons of money beforehand.
Victor's user avatar
  • 703
0 votes
1 answer
132 views

Is there a different view by political-scientist in history that printing more bill is different from adding few more zeros in a bill [closed]

Is there a different view by political-scientist in history mention that printing more bill is different from adding few more zeros on the bill. I know some Africa country tend to doing that.
Victor's user avatar
  • 703
50 votes
2 answers
10k views

Where did the Romans store their cash?

In the era before banking was invented, where did wealthy Romans store their cash? The emperor probably could store it somewhere in the imperial palace thanks to the Praetorian guard, but what about ...
Karlth's user avatar
  • 2,209
35 votes
3 answers
18k views

When was Silver ever more valuable than Gold?

These days we pretty much take it as a given that gold is more valuable than silver. The obvious example is the Olympics and other such competitions that give "gold" medals for first place and "silver"...
T.E.D.'s user avatar
  • 115k
3 votes
1 answer
158 views

Reception of Acemoglu-Robinson 'extractive institutions' thesis?

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson believe that a great deal about the economic, social, and political life of a country can be explained by the quality of political institutions, especially the degree ...
Evan Harper's user avatar
  • 1,306
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the secret behind the economic success of Republic of China (Taiwan)?

Even though the Republic of China (ROC, also known as Taiwan) is not a member of the United Nations, it has been economically successful. What is the secret behind the economic success of it then?
user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
4k views

In what ways was the Gold Confiscation Act of 1933 beneficial/detrimental to Americans?

On March 9, 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) called Congress in for an emergency session, which would result in the speedy passing of the Gold Confiscation Act. According to FDR's Executive Order (...
E1Suave's user avatar
  • 3,810
11 votes
3 answers
6k views

Why is Alexander Hamilton considered the father of modern banking?

I've been hearing the phrase recently that Alexander Hamilton is considered the "father of modern banking", but haven't really come up with any explanation or definition that I can really understand ...
MichaelF's user avatar
  • 7,547
7 votes
4 answers
9k views

When did commercial studio photography become common?

I was looking at this Wikipedia article, History of photography, and I wondered when commercial photography studios became common place and affordable for the average person. According to the ...
jfrankcarr's user avatar
  • 6,482
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Based on historical experience what would happen if/when the USA/EU fell? [closed]

In this video the guy talking mentions that when empires fall. Governance tends to become more local and smallscale(warlords, feudal lords etc) because threats tend to become smallscale and local. And ...
Kristoffer Nolgren's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
78 views

What is a common reason that Empires fall or collapse and can they be corrected? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Are there any similarities in what happens when Empires collapse? The question I have is 2 fold what causes most Empires or Nations to fall other than over powered by a ...
OrionDarkwood's user avatar
36 votes
10 answers
13k views

Why did the United Kingdom industrialize first?

What factors made the United Kingdom the first to industrialize? Was it simply the importance and benefit of its position in the global community for trade?
Harry Johnson's user avatar
23 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why did the British not introduce the sterling in India?

The question is about the adoption of currency during imperialist rule. Why did the British persist with the local currency, the rupee? What impediments did the British face in implementing the ...
Bravo's user avatar
  • 1,067
7 votes
2 answers
462 views

What were the first "Big Banks" in the United States?

The large financial institutions of the world have dominated the news cycle for the past few years, and it got me thinking, what were the first large banks in the US? I am interested in hearing about ...
ihtkwot's user avatar
  • 9,647
3 votes
1 answer
257 views

What factors enabled the New York Journal to survive the yellow journalism wars?

The height of yellow journalism was a battle waged between the Joseph Pulitzer owned New York World, and the William Hearst owned New York Journal. However, even though these two papers boasted large ...
ihtkwot's user avatar
  • 9,647
61 votes
9 answers
75k views

How did Nazi Germany finance itself during WW2?

How did Nazi Germany finance itself during the war? They produced a large amount of war material during 1939-1945, but how was this production financed? What were Germany's revenue streams that ...
David Pointer's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
318 views

Did Demosthenes complain about inflation of prices in philippics?

Did Demosthenes complain about inflation of prices in his philippics caused by Philip II of Macedon's extensive gold mining? I have heard it somewhere but I can not find any refference.
daniel.sedlacek's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
4k views

Did anyone warn about the potential for stock market crashes in 1929, and if so why were their warnings ignored?

I can't seem to find information about economists, or others, warning about the overheated stock market of the 1920s in the US that would culminate in the stock market crashing on Black Thursday, ...
ihtkwot's user avatar
  • 9,647
38 votes
3 answers
3k views

Did the end of the British Raj in India create an economic loss for Britain?

I know the economic downturn of the World War and the victory of the Labour Party played some role in Britain deciding to quit India. Did GB have any serious economic implications because of this? ...
Bravo's user avatar
  • 1,067
12 votes
4 answers
5k views

How did New York become the financial hub of America?

Why did New York become the financial hub of America, rather than one of the other big cities?
Casebash's user avatar
  • 231
18 votes
1 answer
166k views

What was the economic impact of WW1 on USA's economy?

It's well known that WW2 had a greatly positive impact on American economy. Up to the point of certain historians being sure that, if not for WW2, FDR would have had a major economic problems on his ...
DVK's user avatar
  • 17.6k
12 votes
4 answers
1k views

What was more expensive to lose in a gladiatorial fight: a gladiator or a rare animal?

We know that, aside from man-to-man combat, gladiatorial fights would often pit human gladiators against wild animals. Is there any documented historical evidence that would show what was a bigger ...
DVK's user avatar
  • 17.6k
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

What are the social preconditions for division of labour, when compared in different emerging civilizations?

I would like to know if historians/economists/sociologists agree on the preconditions required for division of labour in ancient and/or earlier societies. Are there any common preconditions and ...
Hauser's user avatar
  • 4,224
18 votes
1 answer
867 views

How did the existence of the Alps impact the development of Switzerland?

Can anyone tell me what was the role of Alps and Alpine region in Swiss development of Switzerland?
Gautam Shrivastava's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
4k views

Where did the money come from to build the Colosseum?

Where did the money come from to finance the building of the Colosseum?
YUASK's user avatar
  • 1,399

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