Publications

25 Jan 2021
Book

In a Nutshell, Why American Capitalism Succeeded

How did the United States become the world’s center of business growth following its founding in 1776? Surely a number of nations had powerful natural resources, stable financial and legal institutions, and dynamic entrepreneurs over that same span. Why was American... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Manufacturing

Web

Business History - Faculty & Research

quantitative and qualitative evidence highlights how inventors and intermediaries in Japan interacted to create a market for new ideas. Article The Way to Wealth Around the World: Benjamin Franklin and the Globalization of American... View Details

Web

Faculty & Research - Business History

the U.S. South declared secession from the Union. The trigger for the crisis was Abraham... 20 Feb 2024 News Honoring the History of Black Americans in the Military Re: Hise Gibson Senior Lecturer Hise... View Details

04 Mar 2022
Blog Post

Celebrating Black History Month at HBS

During the month of February, we appreciated the opportunity to celebrate HBS students, alumni, and faculty who are establishing their own places in history. We are excited to continue to honor the legacy of the Black and African American... View Details

June 1999 (Revised August 2004)
Case

The American Basketball League: The Last Chapter

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Elizabeth (Lisa) Smyth

Provides information on the demise of the American Basketball League (ABL) in December 1998. Reviews the League's attendance, television activity, and competitive positioning versus the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In conjunction with earlier cases... View Details

Keywords: Product Positioning; Failure; Finance; Sports Industry

Find at Harvard

February 2004 (Revised August 2018)
Case

The American System

By: David A. Moss, Tiffany Morris and Sarah Brennan

Traces the economic development of the United States from 1790 to 1857, focusing especially on the struggle between free traders and protectionists over federal tariff policy. Devotes considerable attention to the nation's political system, its evolving common law,... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Economic Growth; Government and Politics; United States

27 Mar 2019
HBS Seminar

Caitlin Rosenthal, UC Berkeley, Department of History

30 May 2017
News

At Home with History

kept six, all of which are already owned or will eventually be owned by the CAHPT and open to the public. The houses Jenrette worked to preserve for future generations to visit are “part of our heritage,” he said. “Each one could be a time capsule or case View Details

Web

Historical Data Visualization - Business History

Historical Data Visualization To facilitate understanding the history of global capitalism in its broad societal context, this tool provides historical data on broad economic, social and political trends both globally and within the... View Details

American Business Since 1920: How It Worked

Since the first appearance of Thomas McCraw's contribution to Harlan Davidson's American History Series in 2000, American... View Details

April 1994 (Revised April 1995)
Case

Volkswagen de Mexico's North American Strategy (A)

In 1988, Volkswagen (VW) consolidated its North American operations in Puebla, Mexico, after shutting down its plant in Pennsylvania. Volkswagen de Mexico had been in operation since the 1960s, but produced almost exclusively for the Mexican market. In the late 1980s,... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Trade; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Canada; Germany; United States; Mexico

07 Jul 2016
News

Teaching History in the Present Tense

When Professor David Moss debuted his case-based class, History of American Democracy, he introduced a new way of thinking about the subject: “We’re looking at history as not... View Details

12 Apr 2004
Research & Ideas

What Great American Leaders Teach Us

What is the history of the Great American Business Leaders database? A: The Leadership Initiative rests on three avenues of research—legacy leadership, emerging leadership, and global leadership. The Great... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

April 2022 (Revised July 2022)
Case

Stalin’s Capitalists: American Business and Soviet Industrialization

By: Jeremy Friedman, Jingyu Liu and Christine Riggle

In the late 1920s and early 1930s when Joseph Stalin, leader of the world’s first Communist state, sought to industrialize his largely peasant country on an unprecedented scale, he turned for help to those who had the most experience constructing on such a scale:... View Details

Keywords: Communism; Industrialization; Socialism; History; Industry Growth; Economic Systems; Soviet Union