World Economic Hegemony (1500-1990)

Author: (American) Kindleberger, translated by Gao Zugu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: This book is a work published by the renowned American economic historian Kindleberger in 1996. In the book, the author proposes a new perspective on the succession of economic hegemony in the world economy. He argues that countries, like humans, have a life cycle, including their youth, prime, old age, and decline. At different stages of their life cycle, a country's status will change from prosperity to decline, thereby determining its position in the world economy, whether it is in a leading position, or whether it is replaced by other nations. The author studied the phenomenon of the succession of world economic hegemony from 1500 to 1990, nearly five centuries, from the initial Italian city-states to the Low Countries of Europe such as Portugal and Spain, and then to France, Britain, Germany, the United States, and Japan. He examined the impact of economic activities, such as trade, manufacturing, and finance, on the economic power of each country, profoundly revealing the economic, political, cultural, and historical reasons behind the changes in world economic hegemony.