classical economics

-noun-; generic term for economic thought developed from 1776 to 1930, which -ssumed the following basic concepts:
1. all types of goods, including factors of production, can be efficiently traded in markets;
2. given free markets, all goods available for purchase will, in fact, be purchased (including labor);
3. free markets include unlimited ability of prices of commodities to move upwards or downward to ensure the quant-ty supplied matches the quant-ty demanded.

-subdivisions-
adam smith (1723-1790), auther of -the wealth of nations- (1776) is usually credited with compiling the critical ideas into a single theory.

some historians regard the cl-ssical era as really beginning after 1817, with the work of david ricardo (1772-1823) and n-ssau senior (1790-1864). ricardo and david developed the concept of diminishing marginal utility to explain the idea of factor cost, and ultimately, market equilibrium.

after 1870, however, cl-ssical economics experienced the marginal revolution, in which the field adopted a much more systematic approach to addressing major research questions.

as a result of the great depression (1929-1939), cl-ssical economics generally faded from view until the late 1970’s. at this time, the rational expectations hypothesis and real business cycle theory were refined in order to address problems that had crippled cl-ssical economics in the 1920’s.

textbooks addressing cl-ssical economic research since 1964 usually call it “new cl-ssical economics.” from 1982 to 2006, nearly all n-bel prizes in economics were awarded to new cl-ssical economics such as
george stigler, ronald coase, robert lucas jr., edward prescott, and edmund phelps.
proponents of cl-ssical economics are nearly always extremely conservative in their political views, and usually conclude that the sole legitimate role of the state is to defend property rights.