Economics and world history : myths and paradoxes

The 1929 crash and the Great Depression

Was there a golden era of European free trade?

Was there free trade in the rest of the world?

Has protectionism always had a negative impact?

Were Third-World raw materials central to western industrialization?

Were colonial outlets crucial to western industries?

Was colonialism important in triggering the industrial revolution?

The balance sheet of colonialism

Was there a large income differential before modern development?

A long-term deterioration in the terms of trade?

The more tropical products exported, the more food imported?

Population growth : the more, the better?

Some less important myths

Generally unnoticed historical turning points

The paradox of economic history or the absence of absolute economic laws