MisesWiki talk:WikiProject Economic History

Inflation in the Weimar Republic

I've added a bunch of statistics to the article and can add some more, but the article could use some more human perspective on the effects of the inflation. For now, it mostly says, "it was bad". There's got to be more to be said about a hyperinflation. Pestergaines 17:25, 23 November 2010 (CST)

Agreed. I will help you as I can. I hope in the end I will have a link that I can quickly send to others and just say: "Just read this and you'll know what I mean"! Portuguese 06:35, 24 November 2010 (CST)

Userbox

I've created a userbox for the project, try {{User WikiProject Economic History}} (e.g. on your userpage). Looks nice by itself, but I run into problems when trying to align it against existing text properly. Does anybody know how to use that thing? Pestergaines 04:09, 28 November 2010 (CST)

Example:

This user is a member of the Economic History project.

Okay, one possibility is to use the {{Clear}} template after it. Pestergaines 04:25, 28 November 2010 (CST)

Inflation in Nazi Germany

I've added a new article on the Inflation in Nazi Germany and it could use some care. I worry about the readability and it could definitively use more references (the links are a good place to start, they contain a lot of good information). Can anybody help out? Pestergaines 11:25, 28 November 2010 (CST)

Next article

Once through with the newest article, what topic can we attend to? Several possibilities come to mind:

• Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe is still in recent memory and deserves a full article.
• The greenback inflation during the American Civil War will surely be of interest for many US readers.
• But we could also go into most recent history, and map out the current economic crisis some more, with emphasis on countries, that are becoming more and more interesting in this context (say, Ireland or Spain).

Any further ideas? Pestergaines 11:25, 28 November 2010 (CST)

OR how about the monetary crisis in the EU, which seems like a hot topic too, pushing many buttons, with some history behind it and plenty of current events? Pestergaines 17:42, 2 December 2010 (CST)

I'd be interested in working on American Civil War-related topics. I can focus more on the general history though, using Hummel's work as a source. --Forgottenman (talk) 20:21, 2 December 2010 (CST)

That sounds like a good angle - don't have much sources on the war itself, but maybe we can milk whatever we find on the greenback inflation and enhance the general topic while making a foundation for the more specific one. Do you need assistance with anything? (You could e.g. enter the raw text and leave the wikification, linking, etc. on us.) Division of labor rules! Pestergaines 07:43, 3 December 2010 (CST)

• I don't know many details, as WikiLeaks (no relation to Mises Wiki, folks!) has not yet provided them, but it seems a major release of highly revealing internal goings-on at a major U.S. bank is due from WikiLeaks early in 2011. Pointing out the Austrian angle to the, um....stuff hitting the fan as we learn it could end up really hot. -- RayBirks 20:40, 2 December 2010 (CST)

There is some stuff on the crisis, so maybe we could expand that, or carve out a part and concentrate on the US banking industry during the crisis on a separate page, with regulations, bailouts and moral hazard. What do you think? Pestergaines 07:43, 3 December 2010 (CST)

Here's a thought: complete the History of money and banking. And I don't mean completing the whole thing, which would be a major project by itself, but merely add the missing key events to form an outline, something to hang things on. Pestergaines 07:40, 13 December 2010 (CST)

Or make a history of tax rebellions, particularly the successful ones. This and more, there's even a book somewhere that could be used. Pestergaines (talk) 23:37, 9 December 2012 (MSK)

Crisis

Which financial crises were significant enough to be focused upon with priority? (WP helps out.) Please comment below, add and suggest which ones are of secondary interest; or which ones should be renamed. Pestergaines 17:43, 13 December 2010 (CST)

• Tulip mania
• 1720: Bursting of South Sea Bubble (Great Britain) and Mississippi Bubble (France) – earliest of modern financial crises; in both cases the company assumed the national debt of the country (80–85% in Great Britain, 100% in France), and thereupon the bubble burst.
• Crisis of 1772
• Panic of 1792
• Panic of 1796–1797

• Danish state bankruptcy of 1813
• Panic of 1819 – pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures; culmination of U.S.'s 1st boom-to-bust economic cycle
• Panic of 1825 – pervasive British economic recession in which many British banks failed, & Bank of England nearly failed
• Panic of 1837 – pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures; a 5 yr depression ensued
• Panic of 1847 - a collapse of British financial markets associated with the end of the 1840s railroad boom.
• Panic of 1857 – pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures
• Panic of 1866 – the Overend Gurney crisis (primarily British)
• Panic of 1873 – pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures, known then as the 5 yr Great Depression & now as the Long Depression
• Panic of 1884
• Panic of 1890
• Panic of 1893 – a panic in the United States marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures
• Australian banking crisis of 1893
• Panic of 1896 - an acute economic depression in the United States precipitated by a drop in silver reserves and market concerns on the effects it would have on the gold standard

• Panic of 1901 – limited to crashing of the New York Stock Exchange
• Panic of 1907 – pervasive USA economic recession w/ bank failures
• Panic of 1910–1911
• 1910 – Shanghai rubber stock market crisis
• Wall Street Crash of 1929, followed by the Great Depression – the largest and most important economic depression in the 20th century

  Make sure Stock Market Crash of 1929 is a redirect; that link is on MisesWiki:Anniversaries/October 29.

• 1973 – 1973 oil crisis – oil prices soared, causing the 1973–1974 stock market crash
• Secondary banking crisis of 1973–1975 – United Kingdom
• 1980s – Latin American debt crisis – beginning in Mexico in 1982
• Bank stock crisis (Israel 1983)
• 1987 – Black Monday (1987) – the largest one-day percentage decline in stock market history
• 1989–91 – United States Savings & Loan crisis
• 1990 – Japanese asset price bubble collapsed
• early 1990s – Scandinavian banking crisis: Swedish banking crisis, Finnish banking crisis of 1990s
• 1992–93 – Black Wednesday – speculative attacks on currencies in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism
• 1994–95 – 1994 economic crisis in Mexico – speculative attack and default on Mexican debt
• 1997–98 – 1997 Asian Financial Crisis – devaluations and banking crises across Asia
• 1998 Russian financial crisis

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Still don't feel to be done with the last page and have to do some study before moving on to another one. In the mean time, though, how about starting a concerted push towards making basic pages for most or all crises above? I would like to attract more people interested in historical topics.

We could call it, say, "Operation: Panic Time" and advertise around a little. I can start during the weekend. It's not hard to produce stubs, and looking at Wikipedia, there's often very little actual content, especially in the older pages, so we could surpass it rather easily (given good resources, of course). Thoughts? Pestergaines 11:47, 14 December 2010 (CST)

On the other hand, it was pointed out, that the last week before Christmas may not be the best time to start a new drive for members. The Operation can wait until the next year, other topics can be attended to in the mean time. Of course, if anyone wants to start first, it is highly welcome. :) Pestergaines 08:46, 15 December 2010 (CST)

Happy New Year to everyone! Still catching up with all the changes during the holidays, all very impressive. How about starting the Operation during this weekend?

Also just noticed - was there no major crisis between the Great Depression and 1973? Pestergaines 06:20, 4 January 2011 (CST)

I think I can probably put some time into contributing this weekend... --Forgottenman (talk) 08:48, 4 January 2011 (CST)

Cool, I've started some advertising. Let's see what it brings. Pestergaines 07:09, 5 January 2011 (CST)

Operation Started

Have started with preparations for the Operation (nice work with the Crisis of 1772, Forgottenman!) and of course need to define the phenomenon first, however imperfectly. There we go! Pestergaines 14:26, 8 January 2011 (CST)

The Operation continues! A few stubs were created, with some detours, as expected. :)

A few thoughts:

• Is Mississippi Bubble a better/more widespread name than John Law inflation in France?
• Many of the crises were put into the 'Financial crises' category, but clearly also belong into the 'Inflations' category. Is it okay to keep it in both?
• The Financial crisis page could use some Austrian goodness.
• Need more sources, a nice one is reported to be "This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly" by Carmen M. Reinhart & Kenneth S. Rogoff; here is what seems to be its predecessor.

Onward! Pestergaines 10:02, 9 January 2011 (CST)

Dear diary,

it is really hard to make "short pages", with so many attractive detours along the way. However, the crises and panics of the later 19th century should be easier to make, because a) there are decent, long Wikipedia pages on them and b) Austrian authors wrote a lot on them as well. So they could be kept short, summary plus a bunch of links. And who knows, I might actually attract more contributors as well! :)

Is there any feedback from anyone out there? Pestergaines 12:29, 12 January 2011 (CST)

Came across the Wikipedia:Darien scheme, which also may count as a financial crisis. Saving it here for later. Pestergaines 07:40, 13 January 2011 (CST)

Note: I need a category for the history of United Kingdom/Great Britain/England - which title is the best one to use? Pestergaines 04:54, 15 January 2011 (CST)

P.G., a question: Do you mean to zero in on England itself, or do you mean England + Wales + Scotland + Ireland, et alia? From my cursory review, the term British Isles rubs many the wrong way in Ireland so Britain and Ireland is often used. Atlantic Archipelago is gaining adherents in academia (per Wikipedia). Having grown up in the States with some Irish heritage, perhaps Hibernia & Neighbors ??  :) --RayBirks 13:16, 15 January 2011 (CST)

I was thinking England+Wales+Scotland+(Northern)Ireland, what is usually by us ignoramuses called England anyway. Googling around, I suppose United Kingdom would be the best answer. Or maybe just use perfidious Albion. :) Pestergaines 18:04, 15 January 2011 (CST)

Operation suspended

I've decided to give this little project a time out. I may still poke it now and then. Anyone is free to continue to any degree desired. Special thanks to Forgottenman for helping with it! Pestergaines 08:01, 20 January 2011 (CST)

I tinkered some with the Dot-com bubble, more will come and is needed, but I'm close to letting it go. If anyone can help out (the wording could use some attention, shorten a bit the part leading to the crisis, more on the impact of the crisis), please do so. Next to follow: the 2010 European sovereign debt crisis! Pestergaines 08:26, 8 February 2011 (CST)

After some converging on the topic, European crisis page is finally started. I intend to add some content on Greece, Iceland and Ireland. Help would be most welcome, as always. Pestergaines 05:38, 20 February 2011 (CST)

Semi-completed the page on the EU debt crisis, a review would be useful. Next target... let's see. Pestergaines 18:44, 3 March 2011 (CST)

The suspended operation continues as planned, crawling along. Only about ten crises are left now! Pestergaines 18:22, 30 May 2011 (MSD)

Operation completed

There, it's all done! A lot more work could be done, but all the stubs are in place. See Financial crises for a complete list. Yippie!!! Pestergaines 16:03, 1 July 2011 (MSD)