Rules of Exchange
French Capitalism in Comparative Perspective, Eighteenth to Early Twentieth Centuries

Provides a new intellectual, economic and legal history of capitalism from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century.

Alessandro Stanziani (Author)

9781107003866, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 February 2012

324 pages, 3 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.65 kg

'Stanziani offers bold claims while being meticulous enough to reward readers who require convincing … Rules of Exchange stands out both for its bold claims and its ability to muster enough evidence to defend them.' Kevin Goldberg, European History Quarterly

The control of competition is designed, at best, to reconcile socioeconomic stability with innovation, and at worst, to keep competitors out of the market. In this respect, the nineteenth century was no more liberal than the eighteenth century. Even during the presumed liberal nineteenth century, legal regulation played a major role in the economy, and the industrial revolution was based on market institutions and organisations formed during the second half of the seventeenth century. If indeed there is a break in the history of capitalism, it should be situated at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the irruption of mass production, consumption and the welfare state, which introduced new forms of regulation. This book provides a new intellectual, economic and legal history of capitalism from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. It analyzes the interaction between economic practices and legal constructions in France and compares the French case with other Western countries during this period, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Italy.

Introduction
Part I. Building Ideal Markets: Economic and Legal Culture: 1. Economic thought and competition
2. Codes, customs and jurisdictions
Part II. Trade and Marketplace: 3. Covered markets
4. The world of shop
5. Intangible trade and the produce exchange
Part III. Market as Transaction: 6. Contracts and the quality of goods
7. Trademark, quality and reputation
8. Expertise and product specification
9. Rules of international trade
Part IV. General Rules of Competition: Speculation, Trusts and Fair Competition: 10. Hoarding and speculation
11. The law of competition and unfair competition in other 'Western' countries
General conclusion: market, exchange and the ideal of non-competition.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ]