Lecture notes meet the requirements of the State educational standard of higher professional education. Accessibility and brevity of presentation allow you to quickly and easily obtain basic knowledge on the subject, prepare for and successfully pass tests and exams. General issues of the emergence of the economy and its development in different periods of time are considered, the essence economy, its importance, development features in different countries, the formation of the world market and the world economy and much more. For students of economic universities and colleges, as well as those who independently study this subject.