Understanding the Great Divergence: Europe's Rise to Economic Superiority

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In Kenneth Pomeranz' book titled, “The Great Divergence”, he explains how parts of the 'New World' became the centre of the globe, and overcame the constraints that limited the development of capitalism and modern industry. Referring to the Core Econ material, this question can be rephrased as “what made the hockey stick kick off?” Certain parts of the Old World, namely China, Japan and Europe, were similar several aspects, including development, biological stress on land, and growth rate of population. The rest of the Old World was rather far away from achieving that level of population density. The primary constraint that China and Europe faced before 1600 was the land constraint, and ecological downfall. Despite advancement in other fields,
This free market enabled goods to be available at a cheaper rate, in Europe. The geographical conditions of Britain (abundance of coal, proximity to water sources, etc), coupled with its decision to import from the New World, while engaging its own population in more profit-oriented activities, facilitated the rapid development of capitalism and modern industry. Here, Europe, the core, imported from the periphery. China handled the situation in a vastly different method. They were at a disadvantage, as they did not have the geographical advantages that Britain had, nor did they focus on trade. The domestic market in China was prioritized, and this led to the increase in price of commodities, and the subsequent increase in prices diminished China's role in the world economy. It was these factors that led to the emergence of Europe as a core, and helped it overcome the land constraint. Thus, the Great Divergence took place and the Eurocentric world emerged. Eric Jones, in this book titled, “ The European Miracle”, also adds on to Pomeranz's view of the great divergence and the role of several factors within, and outside Europe, that resulted in its advantage over all other economies in the

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