Pamphlet on money?

[markusuboy]

I was wondering if the Party has ever put out a pamphlet on the history and theory of money. If not, it seems a good idea to me. A lot of people seem to have a hard time getting their heads around the idea of a world without money because they think the stuff is as natural as the air we breathe.

If we could explain clearly how and why money arose and its evolution over time into the modern banknotes of today, I think a reader would not find the idea of a world without money such a crazy idea. 

It might also clear up some of the confusion that arises from the fact that money and commodity production predate capitalism but only come to dominate every corner of society under that mode of production. 

I'd be curious if anyone else thinks such a pamphlet might be useful. Also, I'd appreciate if any comrades better versed in the history of money might recommend any useful books or articles on the subject. In particular, I'd like to get my hands on any scholarly works examining the initial emergence of money. 

Mike (S) 

 

[alanjjohnstone]

I think it is always better to have one thing that brings together all the arguments and one place to go to read it where explanations are in a clear easy to read format rather than having them dispersed throughout our web-site as we do with the numerous articles on the history of money and banking. These days we do not require to go to extremes of expense to publish a pamphlet or book with budget -priced  print-on-demand companies . I am sure it would not be beyond the capabilities of some members to produce an anthology of relevant articles from the Standard and add introduction and perhaps an updated intro to each of them if needed such as improved recommended recent reading list and url links instead of basic book references. The draft could then be circulated online for comments and corrections and if no disputes arise, accepted for the party to publish. Perhaps yourself, Mike, could start the ball rolling by compiling from our web-sites archives all the appropriate articles and mentions and book reviews.

[markusuboy]

Thanks for that Alan. I agree it would be nice to have articles grouped together under key topics. I will take you up on that suggestion of searching for our past articles on Money. If there is enough material, I might try to create a sort of summarizing document with links to the aritcles. (Maybe you could post it on the SOYMB blog?)But if any "political economists" out there know of a good book on monetary history, please let me know.Mike

[jondwhite]

There is a meeting this Sunday in South Londonhttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/event/marxian-economics-clapham-300pmHave a look at articles under the taghttp://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/subject/moneyand the regular column obscurely named Cooking the Books (doesn't help that there is a picture of a fancy dress chef)http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/regulars/cooking-books

[ALB]

I think a project is already in existence to publish a collection of articles on Money and Banking. DJP should be able to give more information on this.Also, the Party published quite a bit on Money and Inflation in the 1970s when this was a big issue. For instance, there's this study guide on this site:http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/education/study-guides/marxian-theory-inflationAs to other material, the Charles H Kerr & Company publishing house published a couple of pamphlets:Economics for Beginners by John Keracher:http://www.marxists.org/archive/keracher/1935/economics-for-beginners.htmMoney and Money Reforms by Christ Jelset:http://archive.org/details/MoneyAndMoneyReformsThe trouble with these two is that they written in the 1930s and 1940s and so don't take into account the modern era of "managed currencies". But their advantage is that they deal with the history of money from US examples while our material is rather UK-oriented (eg doesn't mention "Greenbacks" or "bimetallism").

[markusuboy]

Thanks very much for those links, Jon and Adam. I will have a look.   

[jondwhite]

I actually have Banking by Walter Leaf which I may scan and share sometime

[Anonymous]

Here are two  'new' articles from 1980 just added to the archives – The Evolution of Money: From Barter to Inflation (Pt. 1)The Evolution of Money: From Barter to Inflation (Pt. 2)

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