ECN 295A: THE CITY OF LONDON

(Mark Montgomery), 4 credits, prerequisite:none. Inside the City of London is "The City of London", a single square mile that once was the whole city, but is now its financial center. For centuries The City was, in fact, the financial center of the entire world. This course will explore The City's role in the evolution of money and finance. Topics include how institutions like the Bank of England and the East India Company shaped the modern economic and political world. We consider the emerging importance of paper money, and the monetary role of such historical figures as Henry VIII and the Rothschild family. Also we look at contemporary issues: Why did Great Britain opt out of European Monetary Union, and was this a good idea?