Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
An audio book by Vincent Bagnall of the 1914 publication by Belgian historian Henri Pirenne.
The author argues that economic history resembles a staircase where each epoch gives rise to an entirely new, distinct class of capitalists rather than a continuous ruling bourgeoisie.
Pirenne emphasizes that whenever economic organization shifts, old capitalists typically fail to adapt to new conditions, turning into a conservative aristocracy while bold "new men" rise to drive the next economic phase.
Phases include:
___the Medieval Town / Commercial Economy (12th Century) including the initial emergence of active merchant-adventurers and capitalists in city-republics (like in Italy and Flanders) breaking away from the static, land-based feudal order.
___The Renaissance and Expansion Period (16th Century): An era of high commercial exuberance driven by new trade routes and global navigation where older guild-restricted elites were bypassed by dynamic financiers and merchants.
___Mercantilism and National Economy (17th–18th Centuries): A shift toward state-regulated economic life, where governments and privileged trading companies took control to manage production and secure trade balances.
(67 minutes, 25 seconds).
An audio book by Vincent Bagnall of the 1914 publication by Belgian historian Henri Pirenne.
The author argues that economic history resembles a staircase where each epoch gives rise to an entirely new, distinct class of capitalists rather than a continuous ruling bourgeoisie.
Pirenne emphasizes that whenever economic organization shifts, old capitalists typically fail to adapt to new conditions, turning into a conservative aristocracy while bold "new men" rise to drive the next economic phase.
Phases include:
___the Medieval Town / Commercial Economy (12th Century) including the initial emergence of active merchant-adventurers and capitalists in city-republics (like in Italy and Flanders) breaking away from the static, land-based feudal order.
___The Renaissance and Expansion Period (16th Century): An era of high commercial exuberance driven by new trade routes and global navigation where older guild-restricted elites were bypassed by dynamic financiers and merchants.
___Mercantilism and National Economy (17th–18th Centuries): A shift toward state-regulated economic life, where governments and privileged trading companies took control to manage production and secure trade balances.
(67 minutes, 25 seconds).
