Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi (1773–1842,) also Jean Charles Leonard Simonde de Sismondi, was a Swiss historian, political economist, and social critic known for his works on French and Italian history and his economic theories challenging laissez-faire capitalism.
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, Sismondi initially pursued commerce before shifting to historical and economic studies. His early works, Tableau de l’agriculture toscane (1801) and Traité de la richesse commerciale (1803,) examined Tuscan agriculture and economic principles.
His most influential historical work, Histoire des républiques italiennes du Moyen Âge (1807–18,) a 16-volume study of medieval Italian republics, highlighted their role in shaping European civilization. His economic treatise, Nouveaux principes d’économie politique (1819,) was among the first critiques of laissez-faire economics, advocating government intervention to protect workers.
Sismondi coined “proletariat” to describe the working class under capitalism and anticipated Karl Marx’s surplus value concept. His later works, including Études sur les sciences sociales (1836,) continued his analysis of economic and social structures.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Jean Charles Leonard de Sismondi
Suffering is the surest means of making us truthful to ourselves.
—Jean Charles Leonard de Sismondi
Topics: Suffering
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