The World Economy and National Economies in the Interwar Slump

The functioning of the gold standard has recently been at the heart of explanations of the interwar depression, particularly as a result of the research of Professors Barry Eichengreen and Peter Temin. In The World Economy and National Economies in the Interwar Slump the interaction between the gold standard and the Great Depression in seven countries is examined by an international team of economists and economic historians. The editor's introduction critically evaluates the Eichengreen-Temin thesis and Eichengreen and Temin themselves contribute an Afterword. In This Book An International Team Of Economists And Economic Historians Discuss The Relationship Between The Gold Standard And The Great Depression In North America, The Uk, France, Germany, India And New Zealand. The Results Reveal A Fascinating Interplay Between Diverse National Economic Historiographies And The Analysis Of The Great Depression Principally Associated With Barry Eichengreen And Peter Temin. The Case Studies Imply That The 'golden Fetters' Binding The Minds Of Interwar Policy-makers Constituted A More Powerful 'deflationary Bias' Than The Actual Reserve Flows Under The Gold Standard. However, A Counterbalancing Chapter On The Soviet Union Challenges The Idea That The Autarkic Alternative Was Superior. Theo Balderston's Introduction Discusses The Roles Of Gold Reserves And Of The Reparations Conflict In Worsening The Great Depression. Eichengreen And Temin Themselves Contribute A Stimulating Afterword With A Counterfactual Analysis Partly Challenging That Of The Introduction.--jacket. Introduction: The 'deflationary Bias' Of The Interwar Gold Standard / Theo Balderston -- Understanding The Great Depression In The United States Versus Canada / Pierre L. Siklos -- France In The Depression Of The Early 1930s / Pierre Villa -- Slump And Recovery: The Uk Experience / Michael Kitson -- 'dancing On A Volcano': The Economic Recovery And Collapse Of Weimar Germany, 1924-33 / Albrecht Ritschl -- The Interwar Slump In India / G. Balachandran -- New Zealand In The Depression: Devaluation Without A Balance-of-payments Crisis / John Singleton -- The Soviet Union During The Great Depression: The Autarky Model / Paul R. Gregory, Joel Sailors -- Afterword: Counterfactual Histories Of The Great Depression / Barry Eichengreen, Peter Temin. Edited By Theo Balderston. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "In this book an international team of economists and economic historians discuss the relationship between the gold standard and the Great Depression in North America, the UK, France, Germany, India and New Zealand. The results reveal a fascinating interplay between diverse national economic historiographies and the analysis of the Great Depression principally associated with Barry Eichengreen and Peter Temin.". "The case studies imply that the 'golden fetters' binding the minds of interwar policy-makers constituted a more powerful 'deflationary bias' than the actual reserve flows under the gold standard. However, a counterbalancing chapter on the Soviet Union challenges the idea that the autarkic alternative was superior.". "Theo Balderston's introduction discusses the roles of gold reserves and of the reparations conflict in worsening the Great Depression. Eichengreen and Temin themselves contribute a stimulating Afterword with a counterfactual analysis partly challenging that of the Introduction."--BOOK JACKET. In this book an international team of economists and economic historians discuss the relationship between the gold standard and the Great Depression in North America, the UK, France, Germany, India and New Zealand. This reveals a fascinating interplay between the diverse national economic historiographies and the analysis of the Great Depression principally associated with Barry Eichengreen and Peter Temin. The case studies imply that the 'golden fetters' binding the minds of interwar policymakers constituted a more powerful 'deflationary bias' than the actual reserve flows under the gold standard. However a counterbalancing chapter on the Soviet Union challenges the idea that the autarkic alternative was superior. Theo Balderston's introduction explores the relationship between the gold standard and the reparations conflict in worsening the Great Depression. Eichengreen and Temin themselves contribute a stimulating Afterword with a counterfactual analysis partly challenging that of the Introduction Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction: The ‘Deflationary Bias’ of the Interwar Gold Standard....Pages 1-26 Understanding the Great Depression in the United States versus Canada....Pages 27-57 France in the Depression of the Early 1930s....Pages 58-87 Slump and Recovery: The UK Experience....Pages 88-104 ‘Dancing on a Volcano’: The Economic Recovery and Collapse of Weimar Germany, 1924–33....Pages 105-142 The Interwar Slump in India: The Periphery in a Crisis of Empire....Pages 143-171 New Zealand in the Depression: Devaluation without a Balance-of-Payments Crisis....Pages 172-190 The Soviet Union during the Great Depression: The Autarky Model....Pages 191-210 ‘Afterword’: Counterfactual Histories of the Great Depression....Pages 211-221 Back Matter....Pages 223-226 Annotation The functioning of the gold standard has recently been at the heart of explanations of the interwar depression, particularly as a result of the research of Barry Eichengreen and Peter Temin. In The World Economy and National Economies in the Interwar Slump the interaction between the gold standard and the Great Depression in seven countries is examined by an international team of economists and economic historians.