European Miracle : Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia

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

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.