Listen free for 30 days

Preview

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

An Economic History of the World since 1400

Written by: Donald J. Harreld, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Donald J. Harreld
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $49.00

Buy Now for $49.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Most of us have a limited understanding of the powerful role economics has played in shaping human civilization. This makes economic history - the study of how civilizations structured their environments to provide food, shelter, and material goods - a vital lens through which to think about how we arrived at our present, globalized moment.

Designed to fill a long-empty gap in how we think about modern history, these 48 lectures are a comprehensive journey through more than 600 years of economic history, from the medieval world to the 21st century. Aimed at the layperson with only a cursory understanding of the field, An Economic History of the World since 1400 reveals how economics has influenced (and been influenced by) historical events and trends, including the Black Death, the Age of Exploration, the Industrial Revolution, the European colonization of Africa, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the birth of personal computing. Professor Harreld has crafted a riveting, centuries-long story of power, glory, and ideology that reveals how, in step with history, economic ideas emerged, evolved, and thrived or died.

Along the way, you'll strengthen your understanding of a range of economic concepts, philosophies, trends, treaties, and organizations, including the mercantile system, Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, Marxist economics, African independence movements, and the formation of economic organizations including the European Union. You'll also consider provocative questions about the intersection of history and economics. What did the economies of Roosevelt's America and Hitler's Germany have in common? What does history tell us about how nations should dictate economic policy? Can we say that free trade is truly free?

Marvel at just how much we still have to learn about the economic forces that have dictated our past - and that will dictate our future.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 The Great Courses (P)2016 The Teaching Company, LLC
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
activate_samplebutton_t1

What listeners say about An Economic History of the World since 1400

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    112
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    86
  • 4 Stars
    26
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything I hoped for

I have been looking for a concise summary of economic/financial history for some time. This did a terrific job of giving just enough time and attention on each of the major economic developments of the past several centuries, while still maintaining a brisk enough pace to tackle over a month's worth of commuting to work. As many of the reviews mentioned, the editing (or lack thereof) leaves much to be desired. However, the content was so rich it was forgivable. Overall, a solid purchase.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars

Good overview

I've previously learned about events discussed in this book in punctuated timelines, but this helped connect those together.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed This

Very thorough treatment of world economic history. Clear, focused, and captivating, despite the complexity of the subject.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Course! Filled with lots of history

really enjoyed it once I got a couple of hours into it. the narrator was doing his best and got a bit more comfortable as it proceeded. I love history and I think this one should be standard for high school kids. the material was easy to follow and the concepts were easy to grasp.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love this!! So good!!

I have listen to over 150 audio books and the educational clarity of this one makes it one of the best academic audio books I've listened to. The brilliantly organized and systematic lecture format make it easy to follow and comprehend and yet the information is so fascinating. Definitely makes my top 10 list!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A lot of very interesting information

I am amazed by the amount of pertinent information and how it was organized, I personally like the most the last five chapters and the last one is a very good summary the provides very good insight. It is really a very good course an worth listening to it. Highly recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

worth listening

great breakdown in easily digested chapters. not sure I'm ready for a career change but I can follow along with the talking heads on the news better.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not an Unbiased Account; Disorganized

I thought this was going to be an unbiased account of economic history but the author praises capitalism and ridicules Marx several times in the book. Also declared universal basic income to make people lazy and unproductive despite every study done on it to show otherwise. This basic disregard of facts is concerning considering I'm relying on this book to teach me facts. The information is very scattered and there is no smooth connection between the chapters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

More like this Economic history of white people

So much was happening out in the East at this time but too much was just glossed over

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It's ok.

There's plenty of useful information here but it feels more like a high school corse than a university level one.

It all has a lot to do with technological change and not very much at all to do with monetary history which was what I wanted out of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful