Wilhelm Abel

Not to be confused with Wilhelm Abeln.

Wilhelm Abel
Born	(1904-08-25)25 August 1904 Bütow, Farther Pomerania, Germany
Died	27 April 1985(1985-04-27) (aged 80) Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany

Wilhelm Abel (25 August 1904 – 27 April 1985) was a German economist. He is particularly noted for his contributions to agricultural economics and economic history.

Abel's first and most well known book was Agrarkrisen und Agrarkonjunktur (Agricultural Fluctuations in Europe) published originally in 1935. It details the agrarian history of Europe from the 13th to the 20th centuries, focusing on periods of expansion and contraction corresponding to population. Other notable works include Die Wüstungen des ausgehenden Mittelalters, a study of medieval abandoned villages, Geschichte der deutschen Landwirtschaft, a history of German rural life and economy, and Massenarmut und Hungerkrisen im vorindustriellen Europa, a long essay on poverty and famine in preindustrial Europe.

References

• Demade, Julien (2007). "The Medieval Countryside in German-Language Historiography since the 1930s". In Alfonso, Isabel (ed.). The Rural History of Medieval European Societies. Trends and Perspectives. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. pp. 173–252. ISBN 978-2-503-52069-8.
• Kaufhold, Karl Heinrich (2004). "Der Beitrag Wilhelm Abels zur wirtschaftshistorischen Forschung im 20. Jahrhundert". In Denzel, Markus A. (ed.). Wirtschaft – Politik – Geschichte (in German). Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 103–127. ISBN 3-515-08633-1.
• Bullock, Alan (1983). "Wilhelm Abel". In Woodings, R.B. (ed.). 20th Century Culture: A Biographical Companion. Harper & Row. p. 1. ISBN 0-06-015248-6.