Overview
This book studies the so far unexplored operation of the international monetary system that prevailed before the emergence of the international gold standard in 1873. Conventional wisdom has it that the emergence of gold as a global anchor was both an inescapable and desirable evolution, given the exchange rate stability it provided and Britain's economic predominance. This study draws on a wealth of archival sources and abundant new statistical evidence (fully detailed in the appendix) to demonstrate that global exchange rate stability always prevailed before the making of the gold standard. This was despite the heterogeneity among national monetary regimes, based on gold, silver, or both. The reason for the stability before the establishment of the gold standard is France's bimetallic system. France, by being in a position to trade gold for silver, and vice versa, effectively pegged the exchange rate between gold and silver at its legal ratio of 15.5. Part I of the book studies exactly how this mechanism worked. Part II focuses on the respective behaviour of private concerns and arbitrageurs on the one hand, and authorities such as the Bank of France on the other hand, in order to underline the constraints and opportunities that were associated with bimetallism as an international regime. Finally, Part III provides a new view on the collapse of bimetallism and its replacement by a gold standard. It is argued that bimetallism might well have survived, and that the emergence of the gold standard was by no means inescapable. Rather, it resulted from a massive coordination failure at both national and international levels - a failure that was a preview of the interwar collapse of the gold standard.
Full Product Details
Author: Marc Flandreau (, Professor of Economics, Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris)
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 16.30cm
, Height: 2.40cm
, Length: 24.20cm
Weight: 0.650kg
ISBN: 9780199257867
ISBN 10: 0199257868
Pages: 344
Publication Date: 04 March 2004
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
Anyone interested in the working of bimetallism is advised to consult this study. A problem might be that it is only available in French; but maybe that could be changed?
Author Information
Marc Flandreau is Professor of Economics at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris. A renowned expert in the history of the international monetary system and international finance, he has published extensively. His work has appeared in the Journal of Economic History, Explorations in Economic History, the European Economic Review, the Journal of International Economics and the Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking.
