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Where Is There Consensus Among American Economic Historians? The Results of a Survey on Forty Propositions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Robert Whaples
Robert Whaples
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. [email protected].
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Abstract

This article examines where consensus does and does not exist among American economic historians by analyzing the results of a questionnaire mailed to 178 randomly selected members of the Economic History Association. The questions address many of the important debates in American economic history. The answers show consensus on a number of issues, but substantial disagreement in many areas—including the causes of the Great Depression and the aftermath of emancipation. They also expose some areas of disagreement between historians and economists.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 55 , Issue 1 , March 1995 , pp. 139 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1995

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