Great Divergence (Economic Development of Europe, China, and the Modern World)

Author: (American) Mark Elvin, translated by Shi Jianyun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-11-01
Features: For a long time, the "West-Centered Theory" and the "Impact-Response Model" have dominated the study of Sino-Western comparative history. In recent years, opposing viewpoints have emerged, proposing many new topics for Sino-Western comparison. This book discusses various arguments, provides a detailed examination of the socio-economic conditions in 18th-century Europe and East Asia, and conducts a specific comparison between England in Europe and the Jiangnan region in China. It proposes many innovative insights with new argumentation methods. The fundamental argument of this book is that before 1800, it was a pluralistic world with no single economic center, and the West did not possess any obvious, internally generated advantages unique to itself. It was only after the full development of European industrialization in the 19th century that a dominant West-Centered paradigm acquired practical significance.