A century of J. M. Keynes’ macroeconomic masterpiece

Abstract

. Introduction. In this article, the point of view that recognizes J. M. Keynes’ book “The Economic Consequences of Peace” as his best work, dedicated to the results of the Versailles Peace Conference and published in December 1919, is substantiated. The uniqueness of this publication is due to the author’s participation in the negotiation process, expressing a personal position of protest against the content of the Versailles Peace Treaty and the destructive consequences of its implementation. Scientific review. The experience of macroeconomic research of the European economy transformations at the turn of the XIX–XX centuries is analyzed. The logic of the author’s concept development corresponded to the historical course of events: the economy of Europe before and after the war, on the eve of a peace treaty and the prospects for its post-war recovery. The chronological macroeconomic approach was relevant and productive. The scientific creativity of J. M. Keynes, presented in “The Economic Consequences of Peace”, was an original combination of a commitment to the tradition of English economic thought and an innovative understanding of extraordinary macroeconomic trends and extraordinary structural transformations of the economy. Conclusion. It explains the fundamental importance of the book “The Economic Consequences of Peace” in the scientific work of J. M. Keynes. In the process of its writing, bold, innovative ideas developed that served as a theoretical and methodological key to the formulation and solution of problems in the most famous book “The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money”, published later. “The Economic Consequences of Peace” is a creation that deserves the status of a world economic thought classics, a masterpiece of macroeconomic theory that has not lost its scientific value and relevance in the century since its creation and publication.