Levasseur, Émile

Levasseur, Émile (Pierre Émile Levasseur) (pyĕr āmēl` lüväsör`), 1828–1911, French economist. He was noted especially for his historical approach to the study of economics. He studied at the École normale supérieure, Paris, and taught (1868–72) economic history at the Collège de France before becoming (1872) professor of geography, history, and economic statistics. His most famous works are histories of the French working class, Histoire des classes ouvrières en France depuis la conquête de Jules César jusqu'à la révolution (1859) and Histoire des classes ouvrières en France depuis la révolution jusqu'à nos jours (1867). He also wrote La Question de l'or [the question of gold] (1858), La Population française (3 vol., 1889–92), and Histoire du commerce de la France (1911–12).