Capitalism in the Age of Revolution

Examines the critical period from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries during which the North Atlantic economies (France, Britain, the Netherlands, and their colonial dependencies) developed recognizably modern, capitalist institutions and practices. Focuses on the rise of publicly traded companies, the relationship between war and state debt, stock markets, and the transition from metallic to paper currency. Considers the role of plantation slavery in the growth of financial capitalism, and the explosive politics of speculation in the American and French revolutions.