After hopes of an international economic recovery had been repeatedly dashed during a slump period lasting almost three years, 1983 proved to be the long-awaited turnaround year for the world economy. In fact, the upswing came earlier and with greater momentum than had initially been forecast at...

1979 saw a pronounced cyclical downturn with mounting, inflation and balance of payments problems bear upon the western industrialized countries with the long-expected recession materializing in the USA early in 1980. In Western Europe demand and production began to slide a little later....