070003 UE Guided Reading Economic and Social History - Banking and financial markets in the long run (2023S)

In this course we will discuss the evolution of banking and capital markets from antiquity to modern times on the basis of cutting-edge research and primary sources. Particular emphasis will be put on fi-nancial innovation and the interplay between the public and the private sector. The main topics which we will discuss together are: differences and similarities between banking practices in the ancient Medi-terranean world and nowadays, the specialisation of ethnic minorities and especially Jews in financial activities, the development of the fiscal state in Europe and the provision of financial services to the public sector in the Middle Ages and early modern times, banking specialisation from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century and the role of banks as creators and providers of novel means of payment, innovations from the early modern period to the twentieth century to finance increasingly large and diverse ventures, and finally the historical development of stock exchanges and their interactions with the banking system. While learning about the historical development of banking and financial markets in the long run, students will also improve their skills in understanding and discussing scientific works, writ-ing academic texts, and working with primary sources.