The Wealth of Nations: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations

by Adam Smith

Overview

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith generally referred to by its shortened title The Wealth of Nations, is the magnum opus of the Scottish economist and moral philosopher Adam Smith. First published in 1776, the book offers one of the world's first collected descriptions of what builds nations' wealth, and is today a fundamental work in classical economics. By reflecting upon the economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the book touches upon such broad topics as the division of labour, productivity, and free markets.

The Wealth of Nations was published in two volumes on 9 March 1776 (with books I–III included in the first volume and books IV and V included in the second), during the Scottish Enlightenment and the Scottish Agricultural Revolution. It influenced several authors and economists, such as Karl Marx, as well as governments and organizations, setting the terms for economic debate and discussion for the next century and a half.

For example, Alexander Hamilton was influenced in part by The Wealth of Nations to write his Report on Manufactures, in which he argued against many of Smith's policies. Hamilton based much of this report on the ideas of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, and it was, in part, Colbert's ideas that Smith responded to, and criticised, with The Wealth of Nations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9788828314240
Publisher:	Dead Dodo Publishing Limited
Publication date:	04/24/2018
Series:	Dead Dodo Classics
Sold by:	StreetLib SRL
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Adam Smith was a Scottish moral philosopher and pioneering political economist and one of the key figures of the intellectual movement known as the Scottish Enlightenment.

Table of Contents

Editor's Introduction by Johnathan B.Wight, University of Richmond
Notes on the Text
Introduction and Plan of the Work
Notable Quotes from The Wealth of Nations
Contents to The Wealth of Nations
Book I
Of the Causes of Improvement in the productive Powers of Labour, and of the order according to which its Produce is naturally distributed among the different Ranks of the people.
CHAPTER I
Of the Division of Labour
CHAPTER II
Of the Principle which gives Occasion to the Division of Labour
CHAPTER III
That the Division of labour is Limited by the Extent of the Market
CHAPTER IV
Of the Origin and Use of Money
CHAPTER V
Of the Real and Nominal Price of Commodities, or of their Price in Labour, and their Price in Money
CHAPTER VI
Of the Component parts of the Price of Commodities
CHAPTER VII
Of the Natural and Market Price of Commodities
CHAPTER VIII
Of the Wages of Labour
CHAPTER IX
Of the Profits of Stock
CHAPTER X
Of Wages and Profit in the Different Employments of Labour and Stock
PART I. Inequalities arising from the nature of the employments themselves
PART II Inequalities occasioned by the Policy of Europe
CHAPTER XI
Of the Rent of Land
PART I. Of the Produce of Land which always affords Rent
PART II. Of the Produce of Land, which sometimes does, and sometimes does not, afford Rent
PART III. Of the variations in the Proportion between the respective Values of that sort of Produce which always affords Rent, and of that which sometimes does, and sometimes does not, afford Rent
Digression concerning the Variations in the value of Silver during the Course of the Four last Centuries
FIRST PERIOD
SECOND PERIOD
THIRD PERIOD
Variations in the Proportion between the respective Values of Gold and Silver Grounds of the suspicion that the Value of Silver still continues to decrease Different Effects of the Progress of Improvement upon three different sorts of rude Produce
First Sort
Second sort
Third Sort
Conclusion of the Digression concerning the Variations in the Value of Silver Effects of the Progress of Improvement upon the real Price of Manufactures
CONCLUSION of the CHAPTER
PRICES OF WHEAT
Book II
Of the Nature, Accululation, and Employment of Stock
CHAPTER I
Of the Division of Stock
CHAPTER II
Of Money, Considered as a Particular Branch of theGeneral Stock of the Society, or of the Expense of Maintaining the National Capital
CHAPTER III
Of the Accumulation of Capital, or of Productive and Unproductive Labour
CHAPTER IV
Of Stock Lent at Interest
CHAPTER V
Of the Different Employment of Capitals
Book III
Of the Different Progress of Opulence in Different Nations
CHAPTER I
Of the Natural Progress of Opulence
CHAPTER II
Of the Discouragement of Agriculture in the Ancient State of Europe, after the Fall of the Roman Empire
CHAPTER III
Of the Rise and Progress of Cities and Towns, after the Fall of the Roman Empire
CHAPTER IV
How the Commerce of the Towns Contributed to the Improvement of the country
Book IV
Of Systems of Political Economy
Introduction
CHAPTER I
Of the Principle of the Commercial or Mercantile System
CHAPTER II
Of Restraints upon the Importation from Foreign Countries of such Goods can be produced at Home
CHAPTER III
Of the extraordinary Restraints upon the Importation of Goods of almost all Kinds, from those Countries with which the Balance is supposed to be Disadvantageous
PART I. Of the Unreasonableness of those Restraints, even upon the Principles of the Commercial System
Digression concerning Banks of Deposit, particularly concerning that of Amsterdam
PART II. Of the Unreasonableness of those extraordinary Restraints, upon other Principles
CHAPTER IV
Of Drawbacks
CHAPTER V
Of Bounties
Digression concerning the Corn Trade and Corn Laws
CHAPTER VI
Of Treaties of Commerce
PART I
PART II
PART III
CHAPTER VII
Of Colonies
PART I. Of the Motives for Establishing New Colonies
PART II. Causes of the Prosperity of New Colonies
PART III. Of the Advantages which Europe has derived From the Discovery of America, and from that of a Passage to the East Indies by the Cape of Good Hope
CHAPTER VIII
Conclusion of the Mercantile System
CHAPTER IX
Of the Agricultural Systems, or of those Systems of Political Economy which Represent the Produce of Land, as either the Sole or the Principle Source of the Revenue and Wealth of Every Country
Appendix to Book IV
Book V
Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or Commonwealth
CHAPTER I
Of the Expenses of the Sovereign or Commonwealth
PART I. Of the Expense of Defence
PART II. Of the Expense of Justice
PART III. Of the Expense of public Works and public Institutions
ARTICLE I. Of the public Works and Institutions for facilitating the Commerce of the Society, And, first, of those which are necessary for facilitating Commerce in general
Of the public Works and Institution which are necessary for facilitating particular Branches of Commerce
ARTICLE II. Of the Expense of the Institution for the Education of Youth
ARTICLE III. Of the Expense of the Institutions for the Instruction of People of all Ages
PART IV. Of the Expense of supporting the Dignity of the Sovereign
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER II
Of the Sources of the General or Public Revenue of the Society
PART I. Of the Funds, or Sources, of Revenue, which may peculiarly belong to the Sovereign or Commonwealth
PART II. Of Taxes
ARTICLE I. Taxes upon Rent - Taxes upon the Rent of Land Taxes which are proportioned, not in the Rent, but to the Produce of Land Taxes upon the Rent of Houses
ARTICLE II. Taxes upon Profit, or upon the Revenue arising from Stock Taxes upon the Profit of particular Employments
APPENDIX TO ARTICLES I AND II - Taxes upon the Capital Value of Lands, Houses, and Stock
ARTICLE III. Taxes upon the Wages of Labour
ARTICLE IV. Taxes which it is intended should fall indifferently upon every different Species of Revenue
Capitation Taxes
Taxes upon Consumable Commodities
Consumable commodities are either necessaries or luxuries
CHAPTER III
Of Public Debts
INDEX