Economic Warfare and Sanctions Since 1688

How have economic warfare and sanctions been applied in modern history, with what success and with what unintended consequences? In this book, leading economic historians provide answers through case studies ranging from the eighteenth-century rivalry of Britain and France and the American Civil War to the two world wars and the Cold War. They show how countries faced with economic measures have responded by resisting, adapting to, or seeking to pre-empt the attack so that the effects of an economic attack could be delayed or temporarily neutralised. Behind the scenes, however, economic measures shaped the course of warfare: they moulded war plans, raised the adversary’s costs of mobilisation, and tipped the balance of final outcomes. This book is the first to combine the study of economic warfare and sanctions, showing the deep similarities and continuities as well as the differences, in an integrated framework.

Author Biography

Stephen Broadberry is Professor of Economic History in the Department of Economics at the University of Oxford. Mark Harrison is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick.