ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

Our 1st Look at the Question of; “Why Europe?”

Readings: Jones, Eric. (2003). The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in

the History of Europe and Asia (3rd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp xxii – xxxv and 3 - 21

I. Some Difficulties

A. How far back to go?

1. Rapid growth of per capita GDP did not happen until sometime in the 1700’s or 1800’s

2. But, it makes sense that roots of this change go back much further 3. Jones refers to 1400 – 1800 as Europe’s “early modern period”. Others also use

the term “early modern Europe”.

B. What is the best choice of units? 1. Nation-states?

These are the units that choose economic policy … once we have nation-states

But nation-states, especially most of today’s nation-states, are a relatively modern phenomena. They don’t go back far enough to capture the roots of industrialization.

Also, nation-states may be as much affected by its neighbors as its individual policy choice. Nation-states do not evolve in isolation.

2. Empires? Ex. The Holy Roman Empire? These often have shifting borders. They are also a collection of different regions and policies

3. Broader Regions? Yeah, that’s the ticket (for Jones) Jones’ units

o Western Europe o As compared to Eastern Europe o the Ottoman Empire [and its predecessor (pre 1300) Muslim states

of the Near East] o India, especially the Mughal Empire o China, namely the Ming (late 1300’s – 1650) and Manchu (or

Qing) dynasties (1650 – 1912).

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

II. Initial Thoughts re Jones and “Why Europe”

A. Jones is really big on natural disasters (I’m personally less so) i. Europe had easier to deal with natural disasters

o * Europeans had a lower risk planning environment. This meant it was easier to make long-term investments.

o European states became “service states” in their efforts to deal with natural disaster

o These “service states” evolved to become effective promoters of public infrastructure and economic development

ii. Asian states had much more severe natural disasters o This made long-run planning and investment less attractive o Asian states never developed into “service states”

B. For some reason, Asian rulers were more despotic and less restrained than European rulers o Jones was, and still is, often accused of exaggerating the differences

between Europe and Asia ii. Property is less secure the more despotic rulers are

iii. Incentives to invest are lower the more despotic rulers are iv. Incentives to innovate are lower the more despotic rulers are

III. So why did I pick Jones as a reading? # 1: Europe is geographically broken up into many natural “core areas”

A. A pan-European empire was, therefore, not very likely

B. Instead, a system of many, competing, states was the result

C. If one state picks bad policies, it won’t take the entire system down with it.

D. Because they are in a highly competitive environment, each state has an incentive to innovate in terms of government and economic policies

E. More states in a region mean more “experiments”. This, in turn, means the likelihood of a successful innovation, somewhere in the region, is higher.

F. If one state innovates successfully, others will have the ability and incentive to imitate it.

G. While Europe had several “natural cores”, most of these were large enough to allow for an efficient state

IV. So why else did I pick Jones as a reading? # 2:

For some reason, W. Europeans had “low pressure” demographics

A. Lower rates of marriage than Asia

B. Higher age of female at 1st marriage

C. Therefore lower overall fertility (Hajnal. 1965)

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

3

V. A Brief, & Slightly Inaccurate, Timeline of European Medieval History

| --------------- “Dark Ages” --------------- |  400 AD  500 AD  600 AD  700 AD  800 AD  900 AD  1000 AD  1100 AD  1200 AD  1300 AD  1400 Fall of Rome  Early Middle Ages  High Middle Ages  Late Middle Ages 

    Merovingian/Carolinian/Frankish Empires Viking & Magyar Raiders    Rise of Nation‐States  

        

VI. Some Important Medieval Technological Changes (mostly in the High Middle Ages)

A. The heavy plow (with mouldboard and sometimes wheeled) http://www.agrisupply.com/equipment-supplies/moldboards-c-4500022.php (Let’s buy one!!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnPaRgMNgv8 (horses video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RD7izDPV6E (oxen video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf52ZemlY20 (tractor, reversible, multiple … & sandy soil)

B. 3 crop rotation replaces 2 crop rotation

i. 2 crop: 1 part planted, one part fallow

ii. 3 crop: 1 part planted in autumn with wheat or rye, 1 part in spring with

oats or peas, and 1 part fallow

C. The horse collar

Very, very, gradually, horses replace oxen (horses are faster plow

pullers … but they need oats, are higher maintenance and more

expensive)

D. Use of water mills to mill wheat, etc.

E. Some technological synergy or ratcheting, at least in Europe

 

before the heavy plough

ploughshare

co u l t e r

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

4

VII. Political Changes (High & Late Middle Ages) A. 800 – 1000: very small feudal units … see below

iii. ?? Starting around 400 AD, markets shrank. Granting chunks of land to followers became the most important way for big

government’s (ex. Frankish empires) to get loyal followers.

iv. ?? Reaction to Viking raids (Jones & others)? Big political units (ex. the Frankish empires) couldn’t stop the lightning fast

raids, but local power could.

v. Dynastic based, often dispersed, and usually small

B. 1100 + rise of nation-states … see below

i. Fewer raiders come into Western and Central Europe.

ii. Rise of trade

iii. (John) Large siege weapons (ex. trebuchet), combined arms weapons and tactics, plus gunpowder, mean both offensive

and defensive warfare must be conducted on a larger and more coordinated scale.

 A picture of France in 1388 

Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apanages.svg. Retrieved 10‐Sep‐2013. 

 A picture of France in 1435. 

Wikipedia.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hundred_years_war_france_england_1435.jpg.   

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

5

The plains keep on going!

(just ask Napoleon or Hitler … although there are forests in

the North)

Possible Natural Geographic Cores

Based more on John’s natl defensive barriers than Jones’

agricultural cores.

500 miles

Po River Valley

HungarianPlain Lower

Danube

England

Florenceto Rome

Spain has a few small, “internal” mountain ranges

… but … broken up

by mountains

North Euro-pean Plain

a bit more broken up

than it appears

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

6

500 miles

Possible Natural

Geographic Cores

India has a few small, “internal” mountain ranges

a bit more broken up

than it appears

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

7

China’s Landforms … maybe not as simple as Jones implies From: China Mike. (2014). Physical Maps of China. http://www.china-mike.com/china-travel-tips/tourist-maps/china-physical-map/. Retrieved 10-Sep-2014. But … I’m not sure where China Mike got this.  

ECON 30423 Economic History of the Industrial Revolution John Lovett

8

VIII. And a wee bit on the Black Death (mid 1300’s) A. Europe was experiencing a pop increase up until the Black Death

B. Perhaps diminishing returns to land, i.e. Malthusian constraints would have soon limited growth of per capita GDP

C. The Black Death destroyed people, not land or capital. Perhaps, after the initial shock was over, the Black Death was crucial in

helping Europe maintain its advance in living standards and technology

IX. Technological progress in Europe seems to have been accelerated by the Renaissance (1400’s) and Reformation (1500’s)

A. ex. the printing press ( 1450)

B. and the printing press was more than just another example of technological progress

iv. “Knowledge has been remarked as a curious factor of production, for it is not diminished by being used as physical resources are. The stock of knowledge now began to build up in books and libraries.” (Jones. 61)

v. “The ratchet effect so evident in western progress owed much to the superior means of storing and disseminating information.” (Jones. 62).   

A wheeled Heavy plow

with mouldboard

(what a funky way to yoke oxen)

mould- board

Normally, I’d be using 2 to 8 oxen & it’d take 2 people to plow. One person guides the oxen

& one guides the plow. Unfortunately, my buddy Hans is at home watching football and

drinking beer … with the other oxen.