Blood and treasure : the economics of conflict from the Vikings to the modern era / Duncan Weldon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weldon, Duncan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

War--Economic aspects.

War.

Physical Description:

307 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus Books cloth edition.

Other Title:

Economics of conflict from the Vikings to the modern era

Place of Publication:

New York : Pegasus Books, 2026.

Summary:

"Wars are expensive, both in human terms and monetary ones. But while warfare might be costly it has also, at times, been an important driver of economic change and progress. Over the long span of history nothing has shaped human institutions - and thus the process of economic development - as much as war and violence. Wars made states and states made wars. As the costs of warfighting grew, so did state structures, taxation systems, and national markets for debt. And as warfare became ever more destructive, the incentive for governments to resort to it changed too. Blood and Treasure looks at the history and economics of warfare from the Viking Age to the war in Ukraine, examining how incentives and institutions have changed over time. It surveys how warfare helped drive Europe's rise to global prominence, and it explains how the total wars of the twentieth century required a new type of strategy, one that took economics seriously. Underpinning this riveting narrative is a focus on how and why the economics of conflict have changed over time. This is a story of how economics can help to explain the motivations of war, and how understanding the history of warfare can help explain modern economics."-- publisher's description, from dust jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

Rational raiders: the economics of the Vikings

Genghis Khan, father of globalisation

Why medieval rulers were right to choose inferior weapons

How gold and silver made Spain poor

Understanding hysteria: the economics of witch trials

How warfare made the Renaissance

How pirates understood incentives

Accounting for empire: why Britain almost swapped Canada for Guadeloupe

When cronyism and corruption helped: the Royal Navy's rise to greatness

The economics of rebellion and empire in India

How the US Civil War made the dollar

The changing costs of war

The economics of total war

The Luftwaffe: when rewarding bravery was self-defeating

Stalin, total war, and the end of Soviet growth

Economists are not always right: Walt Rostow and the Vietnam War

Planning for war, Ukraine, and the incentives for analysis.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-282) and index.

ISBN:

9798897100309

8897100309

9788897100300

OCLC:

1523197354

Publisher Number:

90103583803