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The article focuses on the book "A Short History of Economic Progress: A Course in Economic History," by Y.S. Brenner. Brenner is a professional economist and his book derives from his 1966 to 67 lecture course at Cape Coast University in Ghana, where he was Head of the Economics Department. Brenner is one of the sensitive subspecies of development economists with the courage needed to start such a course at the era of the Reformation, and moreover to devote much time to the earlier phases of development. Brenner's grand and grandly optimistic hypothesis is that economic progress, starting as a mutant in Reformation Europe, is like an organism and by its very nature tends to spread, to occupy its environment, to cover the earth. Closer to the present, as a development economist, Brenner is properly most interested in blockages, which have impeded the spreading of material progress. Unlike some less sensitive economists Brenner is ready to take account of social, political and cultural elements, which have propelled or impeded development.

The article discusses the book "Peasant Wars of the Twentieth Century," written by Eric R. Wolf analyzing the role of the peasantry in the major events of twentieth century. It defines peasants as "populations existentially involved in cultivation and making autonomous decisions regarding the processes of cultivation." It describes the events of liberation wars in Mexico, Russia, China, Vietnam, Algeria and Cuba. This book shows the changes imposed upon the peasantry in the processes of social change and economic development, how they are thrown mercilessly into a monetary economy for which they were culturally and financially unprepared. Demographic changes influenced and aggravated the developments. At the same time, the social role of peasants recedes. It elaborates on the special features limiting the active and independent role of peasants in revolutions and the particular difficulties of the exogenous leadership to gain the villager's trust. The book is very valuable for rural sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists and social historians.

Focuses on the contents of the book 'Growing Prosperity,' by Bennett Harrison and Barry Bluestone. Critique of the Wall Street model; Relationship between investment in technologies and productivity growth.