Synopses & Reviews
Why did modern states and economies develop first in the peripheral and late-coming culture of Europe? This historical puzzle looms behind every study of industrialization and economic development. In his analytical and comparative work Eric Jones sees the economic condition forming where natural environments and political systems meet: Europe's economic rise is explained as a favored interaction between them, contrasting with the frustrating pattern of their interplay in the Ottoman empire, India and China. A new preface and afterword have been added for the third edition. Previous Edition Hb (1987): 0-521-33449-7 Previous Edition Pb (1987): 0-521-33670-8
Review
"It is one of the merits of this thoughtful and stimulating book that it will awaken insights even broader and more numerous than those presented in this pithy, concentrated work." Journal of Historical Geography
Synopsis
Why modern states and economies developed in Europe first, and later in India and China.
Table of Contents
Part I. Eurasia: 1. Environmental and social conjectures; 2. Disasters and capital accumulation; Part II. Europe: 3. Technological drift; 4. The discoveries and ghost acreage; 5. The market economy; 6. The states system; 7. Nation-states; Part III. The World: 8. Beyond Europe; Part IV. Asia: 9. Islam and the Ottoman Empire; 10. India and the Mughal Empire; 11. China and the Ming and Manchu Empires; Part V. Eurasia: 12. Summary and comparison; Annotated bibliographical guide; Bibliography and supplementary guide; Index.