Economic History

• The students will learn the topics that will enrich their knowledge of local, regional and world economic history.
• The acquired knowledge in economic history will contribute to better understanding of historical dynamics, the origins of contemporary economic regimes and the interdependency of economic and social development.
• Students will understand the comparative economic performance/underperformance of certain societies, states, cultural communities, regions; entering in the processes of economic modernization; endogenous and exogenous factors of long-term economic development in history.

No prerequisites are required.

The aim of the course is to present the economic history as a scientific discipline with its methodological and research concepts. The course is also focused on the presentations of long-term development tendencies in economy and consequently in society as well, which were the cause of profound transformations of economy and society in modern age with emphasis on industrialization in national and international level in comparative perspective. The presentation of key economic and social transformations is based on the interdependency of economic, social, political and cultural processes in long-term perspective. The course of Economic History consists of following topics: the emergence and performance of different economic regimes (economic liberalism, authoritarian economic dirigisme (Nazi Germany and fascist Italy), centrally-planned (communist) economies and regulated market economy in form of welfare state); concepts of modern economic growth; international trade; international economic organizations and systems, regional economic differences/integrations/globalisation; monetary regimes and financial systems on national and international level; consumerism; cooperative movements, the importance of the technology and research and development for economic growth; education and population as economic factor.

• With the knowledge of dynamics, general features of economic development and origins of modern economic system the students will be in position to analyse, conceptualize and contextualize the certain economic/social topic in the broader comparative historical perspective of local, regional or international environment.
• Students will develop the ability of critical consideration of the processes of the economic modernization; the ability of critical analysis of relevant sources and economic history literature in the research work.

• F. Braudel, A History of Civilizations, Penguin Books, New York, 1993. E-version
• R. Cameron, A Concise Economic History of the World from Paleolithic Time to the present. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003. E-version
• G. Kenwood in A. L. Lougheed, The Growth of the International Economy 1820–2000. An Introductory Text. Fourth Edition, Routledge, London, 1999. E-version
• A. Maddison, The World Economy: Historical Statistics. Development Centre of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development cop., Paris, 2003. Catalogue E-version
• D. Landes, The wealth and poverty of nation: why some are so rich and some so poor?. London, 1999.
• D. Landes, The unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present, 1988. Catalogue E-version
• N. Rosenberg, R. Landau, D. Mowery (ed.), Techology and the wealth of Nation, Standford, 1992.
• C. Kindleberger, The Financial history of Western Europe. New York-Oxford, 1993. E-version
• D. Hansen, European economic history : from mercantilism to Maastricht and beyond, Copenhagen, 2001. E-version
• The Economic History of Eastern Europe, Oxford, 1985/1986.
• J. Lampe, M. Jackson, Balkan Economic History 1550-1950: From Imperial Borderlands to Developing Nations, Bloomington, 1982.
• T. Hočevar, The Structure of the Slovenian Economy 1848-1963, New York 1965.
• Slovenska novejša zgodovina: od programa Zedinjene Slovenije do mednarodnega priznanja Republike Slovenije, 1848-1992, Ljubljana, 2005. Catalogue

Oral exam

Žarko Lazarević completed his PhD studies at University of Ljubljana in 1992 in the subject of debt-based financing of the modernisation of Slovene agriculture from the mid 19th century to WW II. The subjects of his research work later extend from the development in agriculture, the industrialisation process, cooperative societies, entrepreneurism, and the role of nationalism in economy, representation and perceptions of national interest, consumerism and advertising to the development of financial sector in Slovenia within the European context in the period of late 19. and 20th Century. He complements his engagement in research with researching the influence of economic processes to social structure and, within this framework, especially on long-term structural changes in the economic-social image of Slovenia within comparative extensions of the 19th and 20th century European economic environment.

Recent publications:

Books:

• Plasti prostora in časa : iz gospodarske zgodovine Slovenije prve polovice 20. Stoletja (Chapters from the economic history of Slovenia in the first half of 20th Century) (Ljubljana 2009)
• Prilozi finansijskoj istoriji Jugoistočne Evrope 20. veka : pregledi iz Slovenije i Srbije. (Contributions to financial history of Southeastern Europe) Beograd: Megatrend univerzitet, 2011.
• SHIBA, Nobuhiro (ed.), GABRIČ, Aleš (ed.), SUZUKI, Kenta (ed.), LAZAREVIĆ, Žarko (ed.). School history and textbooks : a comparative analysis of history textbooks in Japan and Slovenia, Ljubljana: Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino, 2013.

Recent selected articles:

• Von der Besatzung zur Liquiderung - : das slowenische Bankwesen in den 1940er Jahren, in: Ralf Ahrens (ed.), Umbrüche und Kontinuitäten in der mitteleuropäischen Kreditwirtschaft nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg, (Geld und Kapital, 2005/06, Stutgart, 2008, 47-62);
• Kontinuitäten und Brüche : der lange Weg zu einer slowenischen Wirtschaftsgeschichte des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, in: Klaus Tenfelde, Sabine Rutar and Rolf Wörsdörfer (eds.), Sozialgeschichte und soziale Bewegungen in Slowenien, (Mitteilungsblatt des Instituts für soziale Bewegungen, Nr. 41) (Essen, 2009, 51-69);
• The replacement of economic elites in Slovenia after world war II., in: Jahrbuch für Wirtschaftsgeschichte (2010, Nr. 2, 147-162);
• Slovenian Banks during the Great Depression, in: Economic and Financial Stability in SE Europe in a Historical and Comparative Perspective : Fourth Conference of Southeast Europe Monetary History Network (Beograd 2010, 1-16);
• Cooperative models, practices, and meanings : tools for coping with personal and social risks. Megatrend rev., 2011, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 233-258;
• Education and economic development in Slovenia : some observations up to WWI. In: VODOPIVEC, Peter (ed.), GABRIČ, Aleš (ed.). The role of education and universities in modernization processes in Central and South-Eastern European counties [i. e. countries] in 19th and 20th century, (Zbirka Vpogledi, 3). Ljubljana: Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino: Avstrijski znanstveni institut; Wien: Zentrum für Soziale Innovation, 2011, pp. 103-114;
• Backgrounds and concepts of economic sanctioning in Slovenia during the 20th century. In: KOSTER, Margo de (ed.).Justice in wartime and revolutions : Europe, 1795-1950 : Europe, 1795-1950. Bruxelles = Brussels = Brussel: Algemeen Rijkarchief: = Archives générales du Royume, 2012, pp. 239-256.
• The concept of progress in the teaching of history : some observations from Slovenian textbooks. V: SHIBA, Nobuhiro (ed.), GABRIČ, Aleš (ed.), SUZUKI, Kenta (ed.), LAZAREVIĆ, Žarko (ed.). School history and textbooks: a comparative analysis of history textbooks in Japan and Slovenia, Ljubljana: Inštitut za novejšo zgodovino, 2013, str. 205-217.