The European Economy Since 1914

The fifth edition of The European Economy provides a succinct and lucid account of the development and problems of the European economy since the first world war. It covers the whole of Europe including Russia and Turkey. The text divides into several clearly defined sub-periods: the impact and aftermath of the first world war and recovery and reconstruction during the 1920s; the depression and the recovery of the 1930s; the impact of the second world war and the new political division in Europe; the post-war boom of the 1950s and 1960s and then into the growth slowdown of the 1970s and the persistent problems of inflation and unemployment. It then analyses the demise of the centrally planned economies of eastern Europe and the move to a more united Europe and then discusses the financial and economic problems that have emerged in the early twenty-first century. This new edition has been extensively revised, new chapters have been added and the reading lists updated. Though the volume is designed as a basic introductory text the authors elicit some of the lessons that can be learnt from a study of past development, one of which is the limited power of governments to influence the course of events and to combat the operation of market forces.

Introduction 1. The End of the Old Order, 1914-1921 2. Postwar Reconstruction and Instability Problems in the 1920s 3. Economic Crisis and Recovery, 1929-1939 4. Eastern Europe and the Periphery in the 1930s 5. The Battle for Europe 1939-1945 6. Europe's Reconstruction 7. The Golden Age of Postwar Economic Growth 8. The Socialist Economies of Eastern Europe, 1950-1970 9. Western Capitalism in the 1970s 10. Western Europe in the 1980s: The Seearch for Stability 11. Eastern Europe in the Transition, 1970-1990 12. Towards a United Europe, 1990-2000 13. The New Millenium 14. The Euro-Zone Crisis

Derek H. Aldcroft is a University Fellow, School of Historical Studies, University of Leicester, UK Steven Morewood is a Senior Lecturer in International History at the University of Birmingham, UK