Bimetallism: An Economic and Historical Analysis

By Angela Redish

Book Overview

This book, first published in 2000, presents a history of Western monetary systems and explains why bimetallism was preferred to a gold standard before 1800. Professor Redish argues that the technological ability to issue fiduciary monies, and a commitment mechanism to prevent opportunistic governments changing the ratio between the currency and a unit of gold, were (frequently overlooked) prerequisites for the emergence of the Classical gold standard. The simplicity of the gold standard, a monetary system where there is a fixed ratio between a weight of gold and a unit of currency, makes it an obvious focus for discussion of commodity money systems, and for contrasting with today's fiat money regimes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521570913
• ISBN13: 9780521570916
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.4" x 9.3"