Wirtschaftsgeschichte Südosteuropas: Ist und Soll
Economic History of Southeastern Europe. Things to Do and Things to Come

Summary/Abstract: That economy matters is beyond doubt. The same is true for economic history. But since the „cultural turn“ the latter has been marginalized. Economic history of and in Southeastern Europe suffers particularly from this situation. During the socialist period, it was dominated by the crude application of vulgar Marxism (e.g. concerning the primordial accumulation of capital, the beginning of capitalism or the industrial take off). In a region that was characterized by an overwhelmingly agrarian population, agricultural history was nearly non-existent. Comparative studies beyond the borders of the nation state were seldom, if ever, undertaken. After the socialist break-up, the interest in economic history collapsed. As a consequence, large parts of modern economic history are understudied or in need of rewriting. The article lists some of the main tasks for a new approach to the economic past of the region in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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