To cut out the history of the economy , one can resort to a commonly allowed periodisation by using the concept of economic revolution. One counts primarily four periods:

• the prehistoric economy

• the Neolithic Revolution and birth of the Agriculture
• ancient economy and slow medieval evolution
• the Industrial revolution

One also can, although the phenomenon is very recent (less than 50 years) to add a fifth period which founded on the informational Revolution makes rock the economies developed in the post-industrial economy.

Prehistoric economy

Over one period covering of the hundreds of thousands of years are set up the basic elements of the economy, characterized like the economy of the predation developed by the populations of Chasseurs-cueilleurs:

• transformations of food with fire

• first productions of tools then of clothing, artistic and religious objects….

• first exchanges (gift, barter, war)

The Neolithic revolution

See also: Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic period is often regarded as including the economic first Révolution. It is located at an important turning of the history and constitutes a rupture between the nomadism and the sedentarism. This major rupture in the human history is in a time court 4000 year old between -12.000 and - 8.000 before our era.

The Neolithic revolution records two major evolutions history, initially the birth of the Agriculture and then the creation of urban structures, villages then Ville S. But many other elements, constitutive of the human society, are set up gradually: birth of the Property, the emergence of new techniques, the specialization of work.

The expression “revolution Neolithic” was introduced by the Australian archeologist Vere Gordon Childe into the years 1930 to characterize the events to the the Middle East around 9.000 years before our era. It makes reference to a radical change and rapid, marked by the passage of a saving in predation (drives out, gathering) to a saving in production (agriculture, breeding).

The most recent research results in relativizing this concept of brutal phenomenon. Thus, the adoption of agriculture does not prove as fast as one could believe it during first half of the 20th century. Moreover, it is neither synchronous on a continent scale various, nor universal. The first farmers still exploited the natural resources and certain groups preserved an economy of hunter-gatherer until our days. There exist also examples of wandering groups of pastors. The adoption of a saving in production seems to be a progressive phenomenon, initiate according to certain authors at the beginning of the Mesolithic .

It does not remain about it less than the neolithisation is one of the major stages of the human adventure, as well as the domestication of fire or the industrial revolution.

Emergence of agriculture

See also: Origins of agriculture, Domestication

Animal domestication and the control of the culture of the plants are the two major changes which underlay this economic revolution:

Animal domestication

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Culture of the plants

August 1st

Emergence of the urban structures

The men gather initially in the form of wandering groups in perpetual search for new fertile grounds, then with agriculture, the sedentarisation becomes possible.

With the sedentarisation sets up the specialization of the tasks (Artisanat) and one attends with the birth of the Monnaie and the development of the Commerce.

A slow evolution

During Antiquity, then the Middle Ages, the development of the terrestrial and naval communications, and in parallel that of the writing and accountancy, the improvement of the techniques leads whole areas to become centers of Production increasingly specialized in such or such consumer goods (or pageantry) supplying other very remote areas possibly, known world. But the modes of production, while being sophisticant, remain based on agriculture, the craft industry and manual work.

Ancient economy

With great Mediterranean civilizations of the Egypt, Greece and of Rome, the economy structure and develops.

One within the fundamental competences of these agricultural economics, which show a great technological weakness, consists in the exploitation of free human work (Esclavage). The economic growth rests basically on the strong growth of the commercial exchanges and makes necessary the continual expansion of the resources useful, which justify plunders and Guerre S.

But, these companies butt against the question of the technical development and the absence of accumulation of productive capital. It is the dead end, is a prelude to with successive collapses of the empires.

Medieval economy

The concept of Marché emerges (Silk route in Central Asia, Foires of Champagne attracting traders of all Europe of the Middle Ages). The States which are constituted, set up by reaction, doctrines like the Mercantilisme (to monopolize the productions not to be dependant on others, and to accumulate gold by supplying the others).

Between 1000 and 1348, the population still doubled. One witnesses a fast increase in the urban population, which brings the Urbanisation. Also of novel methods of work are discovered, which gives place to the medieval agricultural revolution.

The agricultural revolution

See also: agricultural Revolution

The industrial revolution

See also: Industrial revolution

Proto-industry

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First industrial revolution

First machines, actuated by the wind and water. Concept of Free trade. Steam engine (James Watt).

Second industrial revolution

Mechanization following the projections in the field of the energy like in the car and of the mining extraction. Constitution of important industrial centers requiring to mobilize important capital (creation of the companies by actions, large the Bank S…). One passes from commercial capitalism to industrial and financial capitalism.

Mondialized post-industrial economy

See also: post-industrial Economy

It is the economy of the countries developed, and towards which also various emergent countries are directed, based on

• the to know as determining factor of production, beyond the three “traditional” (natural resources, work, physical capital)
• the service S, become the first economic sector in the countries developed, in front of agriculture and industry
• the universalization of the markets, with formation of an economy in network (Entreprise wide), whose geographical articulation gives a key function to the poles.

Related articles

• Chronology of the economic facts
• economic History (field of studies)
• economic History of France
• History of the economic thinking
• Specialities in History

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