Harry Elmer Barnes

Originally published in 1930, this book is a detailed but lucid piece of historical writing which answers many questions about ancient and medieval history that are most important for understanding contemporary economic problems. The economic history of Europe in modern times is both the history of agriculture, industry and commerce of a continent over 5 centuries and the history of a series of changes in economic organization which have been dominant in making the modern world what it is. This book gives due weight to both of these aspects. As well as being an account of sequences of events, it is also an account of changing forms of economic activity, alterations of the economic structure of society and emerging economic problems in the 20th Century.

"To those who are interested in the cause of truth and justice one of the most gratifying developments in the last few years has been scattered but encouraging signs of a rebirth in Germany of a search for truth in regard to the causes, merits and aftermath of the second World War. This may and should become comparable to the memorable crusade waged by the Weimar Republic and German Revisionists to establish the responsibility for the first World War and its bearing upon the unjust Treaty of Versailles, especially the notorious war-guilt clause (Article 231) which charged Ger-many and her allies with sole responsibility for the outbreak of the European War in August, 1914. The revisionist case for Germany relative to 1939 is even stronger and more convincing than that with regard to 1914, and the treatment of Germany after 1945 was more harsh and unpardonable than that after 1918, which was based on the Versailles Diktat. The Morgenthau Plan, JCS 1067, and the Potsdam Conference were far more reprehensible than Versailles."

Originally published in 1930, this book is a detailed but lucid piece of historical writing which answers many questions about ancient and medieval history that are most important for understanding contemporary economic problems. The economic history of Europe in modern times is both the history of agriculture, industry and commerce of a continent over 5 centuries and the history of a series of changes in economic organization which have been dominant in making the modern world what it is. This book gives due weight to both of these aspects. As well as being an account of sequences of events, it is also an account of changing forms of economic activity, alterations of the economic structure of society and emerging economic problems in the 20th Century.