The Problem of War

Here is a sober consideration of the relationship between war and economics as reflected in the history of economic thought of the 19th century. It is divided into three parts: the first examines the ideas of the classical school on the economic causes and consequences of war. The conceptions of Malthus, Ricardo, the Mills, as well as those of Say, Bastiat and Molinari, are analyzed and discussed. The second part is devoted to the study of Friedrich List, the German historical school and the partisans of the historical method outside Germany. The third deals with socialism. Saint-Simonism, Owenism, Fourierism and historical materialism are examined. A special chapter is given over to Marx and Engels. The study will be helpful not only to economists but to sociologists and historians, as well as to the general reader interested in the development of Western thought.

Originally published in 1946.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.