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Episodes
- S1 E1 - Gorbachev's Hello and the Soviet GoodbyeMarch 29, 201831minBegin your foray into comparative economics with a look at the USSR in the final few years before its collapse and the restructuring known as perestroika, which led to an increased interest in the study of capitalism versus socialism in the US. Examine some of the major questions that shape economic systems and close with a brief overview of the goals of the course. #Literature & LearningFree trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E2 - Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Keynes, and FriedmanMarch 29, 201832minMeet four of the most influential economic thinkers in history: Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keyes, and Milton Friedman. As you examine their individual philosophies and influences across three centuries, you may be surprised by how many of their ideas overlap even as their philosophies differ.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E3 - How to Argue GDP, Inflation, and Other DataMarch 29, 201831minFrom GDP and inflation to unemployment and standard of living, there is no one absolute measurement that determines the health of an economy. Get an overview of the different metrics for economic success and a general understanding of how they are calculated and interpreted-and why these data points can start more arguments than they resolve.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E4 - British Revolution: Industry and LaborMarch 29, 201830minTravel to the birthplace of industrial capitalism: Great Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. A fortuitous meeting of politics, technology, and economics would shape the future and give the world innovations like insurance and extended payment systems. It would also inspire writers like Charles Dickens to reveal the horrifying social repercussions of unregulated industrialization.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E5 - American Capitalism: Hamilton and JeffersonMarch 29, 201830minModern capitalism may have been born in England, but America would be defined by it from the very beginning. Look at some of the paradoxes inherent in free market systems and how Protestant religious philosophy played a significant part in the direction of the economy. Then, see how founding figures like Hamilton and Jefferson set the course for American economic dominance in the years to come.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E6 - Utopian Socialism to Amana Microwave OvensMarch 29, 201829minThe opportunities and innovations of capitalism in the US did not come without a cost. Religious and political thinkers alike turned to new solutions to alleviate the often horrible conditions many workers experienced, resulting in socialist projects that fell into two camps: utopian and scientific. Close with a look at the difficulties in running socialist systems in a largely market economy.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E7 - The Bolsheviks: Lenin, Trotsky, and StalinMarch 29, 201828minWhy was Soviet communism doomed to failure? Beginning with the Bolshevik revolution, witness the birth and troubled development of communism in a country that was ill-equipped to start a government from scratch. See why Marx never envisioned communism taking root in an illiterate, agrarian society and how the lack of economic experience in Soviet leadership created a spiral of disasters.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E8 - Soviet Planning and 1,000 Left-Foot ShoesMarch 29, 201828minExamine the ways Stalin sought to exercise complete control of the Soviet economy, focusing on his Five-Year Plan for production-an object lesson in the complexities of anticipating and satisfying the material needs of a society. Professor Stuart also gives you an eye-opening look at the ways economics and politics can feed off of one another. Or, in this case, starve each other.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E9 - Economic Consequences of European PeaceMarch 29, 201829minThe end of World War I illustrates one of the iron laws of capitalism: upheavals in one part of the world have repercussions all around it. Understand how the Treaty of Versailles set up harsh terms for a depleted Germany and why shortsighted leadership from the Allied powers led to economic fallout and, eventually, the second World War.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E10 - How FDR and Keynes Tried to Save CapitalismMarch 29, 201829minWas the stock market crash of 1929 the cause of the Great Depression? Find out why Black Tuesday was actually a symptom rather than a cause and trace the origins of the Depression in the US to events and policies of the 1920s, both domestic and international. Then, look at the ways FDR applied the ideas of John Maynard Keynes to help America recover from economic devastation.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E11 - Social Democracy in EuropeMarch 29, 201831minIn the wake of economic and social turmoil in the 19th century, some European countries sought to reform the capitalist system and make it more sustainable. Examine the different motives behind the reforms, understand the differences between public and private goods, and compare and contrast the myriad ways economies can blend capitalism and socialism.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E12 - Sweden's Mixed Economy ModelMarch 29, 201829minCalled "The Third Way" by some economists, the economic system of Sweden is perhaps the best example of a philosophy that falls between the extremes of free market capitalism and government-controlled socialism. Professor Stuart explains the many factors that have contributed to Sweden's relative economic success and what it can teach us about mixed economies.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E13 - French Indicative Planning and Jean MonnetMarch 29, 201831minDiscover why France, a latecomer to industrial capitalism, was vital in shaping influential socialist theories, and how centuries of political upheaval can leave distinct impressions on a nation's economic history. From the French Revolution to World War II and beyond, France is a strong example of the ways economies are shaped by both internal and external forces.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E14 - British Labour Party and National HealthMarch 29, 201830minThe British economy has vacillated between privatization and nationalization over time. Here you will look at one of these shifts by first examining the socialist programs introduced by a post-World War II Labour Party government (including the National Health Service), followed by the Margaret Thatcher era of deregulations and privatizations.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E15 - Social Welfare in Germany: Bismarck to KohlMarch 29, 201830minSocialist policies are not limited to the realm of idealists and reformers. Germany under Otto von Bismarck shows how socialist policies like public education, unemployment benefits, and tax-funded healthcare can create more efficient workforces. See how Bismarck's ideas were used to help Germany achieve greater power and trace his legacy into the 20th century under Chancellor Helmut Kohl.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E16 - Soviet Bloc: Conformity and ResistanceMarch 29, 201831minAfter World War II, the Allied powers were divided by their economic policies, resulting in a divided Europe. Examine the ways Soviet Russia dominated the nations of Eastern Europe, bringing them under the umbrella of authoritarian communism, and which nations pushed back against this takeover. In contrast, also look at Western policies and institutions put in place to rebuild Europe.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E17 - Two Germanies: A Laboratory in EconomicsMarch 29, 201828minThe post-war occupation of Germany by four separate powers-and the difficult question of how to avoid the problems that stemmed from the Treaty of Versailles just a few decades earlier-created a division that would dominate Europe for decades. It also created a unique opportunity for direct comparison between communist and capitalist enterprise, which you will take advantage of here.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E18 - The Soviet Union's Fatal Failure to ReformMarch 29, 201829minDespite attempts by some Soviet leaders in the mid-to-late 20th century, Russia was never able to successfully reform the oppressive and increasingly inefficient Soviet communist system. Professor Stuart shows how the authoritarian government encouraged dysfunctional behavior in production and why the resulting scarcity of decent goods and services ultimately became unsupportable.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E19 - "Blinkered and Bankrupt" in Eastern EuropeMarch 29, 201830minIn retrospect, it would seem that communism in Eastern Europe was doomed to fail. However, when the communist governments began to collapse in the 1980s, it took many people in the West by surprise. Trace the ways Soviet communism's failures were replicated over and over again in the Eastern Bloc nations, with nearly the same results for each of them.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E20 - From Chairman Mao to the Capitalist RoadersMarch 29, 201830minProfessor Stuart turns his attention to China, focusing on the 20th-century influence of Soviet communism under leaders like Mao Zedong. Look at the ways China was shaped by its earlier history to be especially unprepared for industrialization on the Soviet scale and how the cultural revolution under Mao further impeded progress, eventually resulting in an overthrow of his ideas after his death.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E21 - After Deng, China Privatizes and GlobalizesMarch 29, 201832minHow was China able to transform from a nation in decline to a global economic powerhouse in just a few decades? Contrast the economic reforms under "capitalist roader" Deng Xiaoping against the earlier communist strategy under Mao, as well as against the unsuccessful attempts at similar reform in Russia under Gorbachev. Close with a look at China's economic influence on the world stage.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E22 - Asian Tigers: Wealth and State ControlMarch 29, 201832minReveal the secrets behind the remarkable transformations of the "Asian Tiger" countries of South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore from poor countries to high-income economies in the span of 50 years. Starting with their shared features, trace their progression from authoritarian regimes to more democratic governments and compare and contrast their concentrated efforts to shape their economies.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E23 - European Union: Success or Failure?March 29, 201832minWhile the European Union has been a spectacular success in its fundamental mission - preventing war between major European powers-here you will also look at the other ways it could be considered a failure. Professor Stuart presents the post-war conditions under which the EU was created and the dimensions of its economic influence, for good and ill, throughout Europe.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
- S1 E24 - Both Sides Now: Experiment in SloveniaMarch 29, 201834minUsing Slovenia as a model, explore some of the crucial questions concerning the evolution of world economies. Are economies becoming more similar? Or are they diverging? Is there even a clear-cut answer? The issues and debates that opened the course come full circle here; definitive answers remain elusive, but the tools provided open up a world of possibilities.Free trial of The Great Courses Signature Collection or buy
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