ИСТИНА

‘Cliometric turn’ happened in 1960s and changed the essence of relations of history and economics. Interaction between economic history and historical sources started the development of today’s data-oriented approach to ‘usable past’. The expectations of economic growth are universal in modern economies, but economic growth occurs in many different ways. And I wonder whether we can answer the classic question – why are some countries wealthy while other nations are poor? – deeply than Adam Smith could two centuries ago. The sharp distinctions of contemporary economic history are the following: (1) theoretical approach to questioning the past, (2) data-oriented style of reasoning, and (3) global and comparative retrospective. 1) Economic theory is well-developed field, but it’s not easy to apply it to historical phenomena, because easy adoption can lead to simplification and presentism which historians usually seek to avoid. That’s why the very aim of interaction of economics and history is to adjust economic theory to historical realities, as well as to try to interpret historical realities in terms of economic theory. 2) Data are the most profound basis of research in economic history. Many data hubs and data collabs for economic history appeared worldwide. Quantitative studies in economic history gave possibilities for detection of general trends of economic development of the world. 3) Trying to answer ‘big questions’ it’s important to find the right viewpoint. In economic history of last decades the global approach became widespread, but for research reasons it’s usually too aggregated level of development that global viewpoint reveal. That evokes the necessity of comparative canvas for pithy conclusions. The mentioned features of global economic history are the important conditions to make past “usable” in the finest sense of the word.