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Merchants and Mechanics

Exploring the History of Economic Growth

The Role of Disease in Human History

The Role of Disease in Human History

April 10, 2018February 19, 2023 Posted in history of economic growth

Humans are an environmental niche, and organisms arise through mutation to populate it. Novel microbes can cause epidemics in which the death rate is very high.

The Greek Origins of Modern Science

The Greek Origins of Modern Science

April 5, 2018January 28, 2023 Posted in history of science

The Ancient Greeks believed that natural events had natural causes. They invented the deductive proof, and laid the foundations of physics and astronomy.

Feudalism

Feudalism

March 19, 2018December 28, 2022 Posted in economic institutions, history of economic growth, history of trade and commerce, political institutions, property rights

In the Middle Ages, much of Europe was sparsely populated. People lived in small settlements separated by lawless wilderness, so they had to be self-reliant.

The End of Feudalism

The End of Feudalism

March 12, 2018December 28, 2022 Posted in economic institutions, history of economic growth, history of technology, history of trade and commerce, property rights

Feudalism ended when the factors that had supported it disappeared: small and isolated populations, limited markets, the dominance of the knight in warfare.

The Emergence of European States

The Emergence of European States

March 10, 2018January 7, 2023 Posted in political institutions

The first states showed signs of constitutional government, but the fifteenth-century military revolution caused some states to veer towards authoritarianism.

Why was Science So Successful in Europe?

Why was Science So Successful in Europe?

March 5, 2018March 8, 2023 Posted in history of science, political institutions, property rights, social institutions

The rapid progress of European science was not inevitable. It was facilitated by Europe’s legal institutions, in particular, by the concept of jurisdiction.

Impediments to Science in China and the Islamic World

Impediments to Science in China and the Islamic World

February 26, 2018December 28, 2022 Posted in history of science, political institutions, social institutions

Chinese scientists could not free themselves from the demands of the emperor, and Islamic scientists could not free themselves from the demands of Islam.

Why Were the Americas so Underdeveloped when Europeans Reached Them?

Why Were the Americas so Underdeveloped when Europeans Reached Them?

February 19, 2018February 19, 2023 Posted in history of economic growth, history of technology, technological progress

Eurasia was able to produce food surpluses more than a thousand years before the Americas. Food surpluses led to specialization, which led to rapid development.

The Foundations of the Scientific Revolution

The Foundations of the Scientific Revolution

February 12, 2018February 19, 2023 Posted in history of science

The Scientific Revolution occurred when mathematical reasoning and experimentation were widely adopted.

Economic Ideology and the Glorious Revolution

Economic Ideology and the Glorious Revolution

January 29, 2018December 28, 2022 Posted in economic institutions, history of economic growth, history of trade and commerce, political institutions, property rights, social institutions

At the time of the Glorious Revolution, an ideology that emphasized the value of labour pushed aside an ideology that justified the power of the landowners.

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