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Stability Without a Pact? Lessons from the European Gold Standard 1880-1914

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  • Flandreau, Marc
  • Le Cacheux, Jacques
  • Zumer, Frédéric

Abstract

The high level of trade and financial integration reached by Europe both today and under the late 19th century gold standard suggests that important lessons can be learned by looking at past record to inform current issues. In this article, we draw a fresh picture of the European gold standard, and use it to derive a number of useful implications. The paper’s basic finding is that the stability of the European gold standard depended on the stance of the common monetary policy. Under the gold standard, this stance was disturbingly deflationary prior to 1895. As a result, debts became exceedingly heavy and monetary standards crumbled under their weight, not so much because fiscal policies became looser, but rather because debt burdens became unsustainable in the wake of continued deflation. Once gold was discovered and deflation gave way to inflation, real interest rates fell and debt grew more slowly. This study’s clear implication for the EMU zone, is that stability will hinge on the European Central Bank’s (ECB) policy not being too restrictive.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 1872.

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Date of creation: Apr 1998
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:1872

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Keywords: Gold Standard; public debts; Stability Pact;

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Flandreau, Marc & Maurel, Mathilde, 2001. "Monetary Union, Trade Integration, and Business Cycles in 19th Century Europe: Just Do It," CEPR Discussion Papers 3087, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  2. Lars Jonung, 2002. "EMU and the euro - the first 10 years. Challenges to the sustainability and price stability of the euro area - what does history tell us?," European Economy - Economic Papers 165, Directorate General Economic and Monetary Affairs, European Commission.
  3. Barry Eichengreen, 2008. "Sui Generis EMU," European Economy - Economic Papers 303, Directorate General Economic and Monetary Affairs, European Commission.
  4. Michael Bordo & Christopher Meissner, 2005. "Financial Crises, 1880-1913: The Role of Foreign Currency Debt," NBER Working Papers 11173, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  5. Accominotti, Olivier & Flandreau, Marc & Rezzik, Riad & Zumer, Frédéric, 2008. "Black Man’s Burden: Measured Philanthropy in the British Empire, 1880-1913," CEPR Discussion Papers 6811, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  6. Flandreau, Marc & Flores Zendejas, Juan Huitzilihuitl & Gaillard, Norbert & Nieto-Parra, Sebastián, 2009. "The End of Gatekeeping: Underwriters and the Quality of Sovereign Bond Markets, 1815-2007," CEPR Discussion Papers 7347, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  7. Pietro Alessandrini & Michele Fratianni, 2009. "International Monies, Special Drawing Rights, and Supernational Money," Working Papers 2009-03, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
  8. Lars Jonung, 2002. "EMU and the Euro - The First Ten Years. Challenges to the sustainability and price stability of the euro area - what does history tell us?," EUI-RSCAS Working Papers 46, European University Institute (EUI), Robert Schuman Centre of Advanced Studies (RSCAS).
  9. Flandreau, Marc, 2003. "Crises and Punishment: Moral Hazard and the Pre-1914 International Financial Architecture," CEPR Discussion Papers 3742, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  10. Sophia Lazaretou, 2004. "The Drachma, Foreign Creditors and the International Monetary System: Tales of a Currency during the 19th and the Early 20th Century," Working Papers 16, Bank of Greece.
  11. Flandreau, Marc, 1998. "Caveat Emptor: Coping With Sovereign Risk Without the Multilaterals," CEPR Discussion Papers 2004, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  12. Michael D. Bordo & Lars Jonung, 1999. "The Future of EMU: What Does the History of Monetary Unions Tell Us?," NBER Working Papers 7365, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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