An Economic History of Nineteenth-Century Europe: Diversity and Industrialization
Cambridge University Press, 11/15/2012
EAN 9781107689992, ISBN10: 1107689996
Paperback, 540 pages, 24.7 x 17.4 x 2.5 cm
Language: English
Why did some countries and regions of Europe reach high levels of economic advancement in the nineteenth century, while others were left behind? This new transnational survey of the continent's economic development highlights the role of regional differences in shaping each country's economic path and outcome. Presenting a clear and cogent explanation of the historical causes of advancement and backwardness, Ivan Berend integrates social, political, institutional and cultural factors as well as engaging in debates about the relative roles of knowledge, the state and institutions. Featuring boxed essays on key personalities including Adam Smith, Friedrich List, Gustave Eiffel and the Krupp family, as well as brief histories of innovations such as the steam engine, vaccinations and the co-operative system, the book helps to explain the theories and macro-economic trends that dominated the century and their impact on the subsequent development of the European economy right up to the present day.
Introduction
Part I. Gradual Revolution
1. From merchant to industrial capitalism in Northwestern Europe
Part II. Successful Industrial Transformation of the West
2. Knowledge and the entrepreneurial state
3. Agriculture, transportation, and communication
4. The organisation of business and finance
5. Three versions of successful industrialization
6. The miracle of knowledge and the state
Scandinavia
7. Demographic revolution, transformation of life and standard of living
8. The Europeanization of Europe
Part III. The Peripheries
Semi-Success or Failure of Modern Transformation
9. The 'sleeping' peripheries, traditional institutions and values
10. The Western sparks that ignite modernization
11. Advantage from dependence
Central Europe, the Baltic Area, Finland and Ireland
12. Profiting from foreign interests
the Mediterranean and Russia
13. The predator Leviathan in peasant societies
the Balkans and the borderlands of Austria-Hungary
Epilogue
economic disparity – and alternative postwar economic regimes
References.
'A masterful survey that puts the history back in economic history. It will make an outstanding textbook for undergraduate courses in nineteenth-century European economic history.' George Grantham, McGill University
'After his masterful [An] Economic History of Twentieth-Century Europe, Ivan Berend gives us the indispensable companion volume on the nineteenth century, another masterpiece in comparative economic history. Few scholars can rival Berend's deep knowledge of the multifarious European economies, their mutual interaction and slow integration, as well as the complex links between the economy and the cultural, social and political developments that make Europe so complex and unique. This is a 'must read' book for students and the general educated public alike.' Gianni Toniolo, Duke University and Libera Università degli Studi Sociali, Roma
'Professor Berend's knowledge of European comparative economic history is unparalleled, and he here offers a wide-ranging and deep analysis of that subject, illuminating the crucial issue of uneven continental development in the long nineteenth century. Combining an impressive variety of analytical frameworks and approaches, his study fills an important gap with confidence and persuasive insight.' Barry Supple, University of Cambridge
'Writing [a] new economic history of Europe from a regional perspective is a very ambitious project and an increasingly difficult task for a single individual. I can only praise and admire Professor Berend for his ambition, erudition, and courage. The coverage of multiple dimensions, economic, social and cultural, of economic disparities during nineteenth-century industrialisation in Europe is really impressive.' Leandro Prados de la Escosura, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid