Acknowledgements

This book would have never been written without the support of numerous people. The book project started as a PhD thesis at the European University Institute (EUI). I owe an outstanding debt of gratitude to my former supervisor, Youssef Cassis, who always encouraged me to pursue my research interests. I would also like to thank Regina Graf, John Turner, and Tobias Straumann for being part of my examining board. I gratefully acknowledge the financial support for my research at the EUI by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).

Various scholars have contributed to my work through comments on papers at many conferences or in personal conversations. Among them are Carlo Edoardo Altamura, Ioan Balaban, Mark Billings, Michael Bordo, Oskar Broberg, Maria Stella Chiaruttini, Andreas Dietrich, Alexis Drach, Philip Fliers, Armin Jans, Lena Rethel, Hugh Rockoff, Martin Spillmann, Christoph Lengwiler, Alain Naef, Tobias Straumann, John Turner, and Eugene White. Furthermore, I am grateful to two anonymous reviewers for providing valuable feedback on the book. Writing a book covering more than two centuries can only do limited justice to the complexity of the topic. Certain aspects may be neglected or misinterpreted, for which only I am responsible.

I wish to thank the staff at the Bank of England Archive, the London Metropolitan Archives, the British National Archives, the Royal Bank of Scotland Archives, the Swiss Federal Archives, and the Zentrale für Wirtschaftsdokumentation, as well as the library staff at Lucerne’s Central Library, for their invaluable assistance.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family. This book would have never been possible without my parents, and would never have been finished without my partner, Patricia. I dedicate the book to our wonderful son, Emil.