The course is divided into two main blocks. The first block deals with the development of the world economy (as a whole) since the beginning of the 19th Century till today. This block is supplemented with one lecture referring to the evolution of the monetary system. The students are acquainted with the development in the main economic centers in the second part of the course. Concretely, there are lectures about the economic development in - the USA, Europe, Japan, Russia, developing countries and Czechoslovakia. The main goal of the course is provide students with a complex overview of the historical development and contemporary situation in the world economy. The knowledge gained in the course should help the students to get a better understanding of the present world on the basis of the political, economical and historical relations. Additionally, the course should help the students to use theoretical knowledge from other courses in the area of the factual historical economic environment. At the end of the course students should be able to exercise an orientation in the long run development of the world economy. They acquire dispositions for better understanding of the contemporary development. They will get deeper insight into the nature of the basic economic concepts in the light of the development of the world economy.

1. The introduction to the world economy - definition, global trends; revision of the basics of macroeconomics. 2. Development of the world economy since the beginning of the 19th Century till the First World War – the role of the Great Britain, colonial system, international trade and investment 3. The world economy between 1918 and the end of the 1920s – the impact of the First World War, characteristics of the 1920s, development in Germany and the USA 4. The development in the 1930s –the great depression, collapse of the international trade 5. The reconstruction after the Second World War till 1970s – war economies, situation after the war, reconstruction, bipolarity, successful development in the 1950s and the 1960s 6. The oil crises and the development in the 1980s – the causes and the impact of the oil crises 7. The development of the monetary system – gold standard, modification of the gold standard, Bretton-Wood system, monetary system after 1973 8. Japan – the development till the First World War, the economy between the wars, the reconstruction and economic miracle after the war, troubles in the 1970s, difficulties in the 1990s 9. the USA – characteristics of the system, the economic development before the First World War, the golden period after the Second World War, stagflation in the 1970s, Reganomics, strong economy in the 1990s 10. Europe/ developing countries – European integration, euro; characteristics of a developing country, reasons for lagging behind and ways to overcome it, Asian tigers 11. Russia and centrally planned economies – Russia in the 19th Century, creation of the planned economy after the 1917, gradual worsening of the economic situation; constitution of the centrally planned economies, characteristic of the system, the fall 12. Czechoslovakia/ international organizations – development of the Czechoslovak economy between 1918 and today; the characteristics of the main international organizations 13. Contemporary situation in the world economy – the regions, trends, the development of the main economic indicators, globalization