Sir Michael Moissey Postan FBA (24 September 189912 December 1981) was a British historian. He was known informally as Munia Postan.

Biography

Postan was born to a Jewish family in

Bendery Bender (, ) or Bendery (, ; ), also known as Tighina ( mo-Cyrl, Тигина, links=no), is a city within the internationally recognized borders of Moldova under ''de facto'' control of the unrecognized Transnistria, Pridnestrovian Moldavian Rep ...

, in the

Bessarabia Governorate The Bessarabia Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, with its administrative centre in Kishinev (Chișinău). It consisted of an area of and a population of 1,935,412 inhabitants. The Bessarabia Governorate bordered t ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, and studied at the St Vladimir University in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, leaving Russia in 1919 after the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

and settling in the UK. He held positions at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

and at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, before being appointed Professor of Economic History at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, from 1937. He was known as an economic historian of medieval Europe.

Eric Hobsbawm Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm (; 9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British historian of the rise of industrial capitalism, socialism and nationalism. His best-known works include his tetralogy about what he called the "long 19th century" (''Th ...

notes he was one of the best lecturers at Cambridge, adding, "Though passionately anti-communist, Postan was the only man in Cambridge who knew Marx, Weber, Sombart and the rest of the great central and East Europeans, and took their work sufficiently seriously to expound and criticize it."

Marriages

He married historian

Eileen Power Eileen Edna Le Poer Power (9 January 18898 August 1940) was a British economic historian and medievalist. Early life and education Eileen Power was the eldest daughter of a stockbroker and was born at Altrincham, Cheshire (now part of Greate ...

in 1937. After she died in 1940, he married Lady Cynthia Rosalie Keppel, daughter of the 9th Earl of Albemarle, with whom he had two sons. He died in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Works

* ''Studies in English Trade in the 15th Century'' (1933) with Eileen Power * ''The Historical Method in Social Science An Inaugural Lecture'' (1939) * ''British War Production'' (1952,

HMSO The Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) is the body responsible for the operation of His Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO) and of other public information services of the United Kingdom. The OPSI is part of the National Archives of the U ...

). (Part of the History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Civil Series) * ''Carte Nativorum: A Peterborough Abbey Cartulary of the Fourteenth Century'' (1960) with C. N. L. Brooke * ''Design and Development of Weapons : Studies in Government and Industrial Organisation'' (1964) with D. Hay and J. D. Scott.

(Part of the History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Civil Series) *''Cambridge Economic History of Europe from the Decline of the Roman Empire'' :I: ''The Agrarian Life of the Middle Ages'' 2nd edition 1966, edito
excerpt and text search
:II: ''Trade and Industry in the Middle Ages'' (1952) edited with Edward Miller and Cynthia Postan :III: ''Economic Organization and Policies in the Middle Ages'' (1963) edited with E. E. Rich and Edward Miller :IV: ''The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, Volume IV: The Economy of Expanding Europe in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries'', edited with E. E. Rich and Edward Miller :V: ''The Cambridge Economic History of Europe. Volume V: The Economic Organization of Early Modern Europe'' (1977) edited by E. E. Rich and C. H. Wilson :VI: ''The Industrial Revolutions and After'' (1966) edited with H. J. Habbakuk :VII: ''The Industrial Economies: Capital, Labour and Enterprise'' (1978) edited with

Peter Mathias Peter Mathias, (10 January 1928 – 1 March 2016) was a British economic historian and the former Chichele Professor of Economic History at the University of Oxford. His research focused on the history of industry, Business history, business, ...

, Part 2 extending to the United States, Japan and Russia :VIII: ''The Industrial Economies: The Development of Economic and Social Policies'' (1989) edited by Peter Mathias and

Sidney Pollard Sidney Pollard (born Sigfried Pollak; 21 April 1925 – 22 November 1998) was a British economic and labour historian, and Professor at the University of Sheffield. He pioneered the study of the role of economic management in the processes of indu ...

* ''An Economic History of Western Europe 1945 - 1964'' (1967) * ''Fact and Relevance: Essays on Historical Method'' (1971) * ''The Medieval Economy and Society: Economic History of Britain, 1100-1500'' (1972) Pelican Economic History of Britain #1 * ''Essays on Medieval Agriculture and General Problems of the Medieval Economy'' (1973) * ''Medieval Trade and Finance'' (1973)

Biography

Marriages

Works

References

Further reading