Market and Capital in the 19 Century

This volume, based on the 44th annual interdisciplinary symposium in Plzeň, explores the transformation of Central European society from a rural to an industrial economy during what is termed as the "long 19th century". This process was accompanied by the accumulation of capital, which enabled entrepreneurs to introduce innovations and allowed broader segments of society to participate in the resulting economic benefits. As a result of the 19th-century economic development in the Czech lands, the market came to be seen by the majority of the population not only as a more or less predictable space for the exchange of goods but also as an abstract force, in many aspects intertwined with morality and politics. The need to enter the market with one's work and adapt to its dynamics had a profound impact on literature, visual arts, and music