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Other Wests Than Ours

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2011

Herbert Heaton
Herbert Heaton
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
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Extract

This is frankly a paper with a purpose. It is a plea for the abandonment of that academic isolationism that marks our teaching of the economic history of the United States, and for at least an occasional glance at those other new countries to which Europeans flocked between the sixteenth century and the drying up of intercontinental migration less than two decades ago. The plea might be made on the high ground of promoting international understanding and of making our leadership in world affairs better informed. I am content to present it on the lower plane of improving our teaching of this country's economic and social development. If we examine the story of those areas that have had basically the same experience as ours, we begin to notice the significance of some things here that we have always taken for granted. Some of our problems lose their terror when we discover that other countries are also plagued with them; some of our ideas or methods may look better, or worse, when we contrast them with those of other regions; and some of our achievements may appear greater, or less, when we place them alongside the accomplishments of Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Latin Americans, or Russians in Siberia. It used to be said that the study of the varied forms of government in the eastern Mediterranean made the Greeks good political scientists. Some comparative study of the quantity and character of material development among the peoples just listed might make us better American economic historians.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 6 , supplement S1 , 1946 , pp. 50 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1946

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References

1 For instance, such general surveys as Creighton's, D. C.Dominion of the North (1944)Google Scholar, Burt's, A. L.Short History of Canada for Americans (1942)Google Scholar, or Brebner's, J. B.North Atlantic Triangle (1945)Google Scholar, Hancock's, W. K.Australia (1931)Google Scholar, Morrell's, W. P.New Zealand (1936)Google Scholar, or Walker's, E. A.History of South Africa (1939)Google Scholar. There is much economic history n i these works, and it is easy to get more in books especially devoted to that subject, such as Mrs. Innis' Economic History of Canada (1943 edition), E. O. G. Si aim's Economic History of Australia (1930)Google Scholar, Heaton's, H.Modern Economic History with Special Reference to Australia (1925)Google Scholar, Condliffe's, J. B.New Zealand in the Making (1930)Google Scholar, or Kiewiet's, C. W. deHistory of South Africa, Social and Economic (1941)Google Scholar. From these starting points you can go as far beyond as you wish without exhausting the monograph and periodical literature. Australia and New Zealand have an Economic Record, now twenty-one years old, and a Historical Record. South Africa has a Journal of Economics. The Canadian Journal of Economic and Political Science and the Canadian Historical Review (combined annual subscription $4) are rare value for the money, even of those whose interests are “cut off sharp at 49 degrees north.”

2 Another common feature of maturity is seen in the distribution of workers among the four chief occupational groups: primary, secondary, commercial, and services. The percentages in each group are almost the same for the United States, Canada, and Australia.