The European Miracle
| Author | Eric Jones |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Genre | history, economic theory |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
|
Publication date
|
1981 |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Followed by | 'Growth Recurring: Economic Change and World History' |
The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia is a book written by Eric Jones in 1981 to refer to the sudden rise of Europe during the late Middle Ages. Ahead of the Islamic and Chinese civilizations, Europe steadily rose since the Early Modern period to a complete domination of world trade and politics that remained unchallenged until the early 20th century.
This process started with the first European contacts and subsequent colonization of great expanses of the world. The industrial revolution further reinforced it.
Jones's book gave rise to the term European miracle. It is closely related to the idea of the Great divergence, which rather than on the origins of the rise of Europe during the Renaissance focuses on the culmination of the process in the 18th century and the subsequent "imperial century" of Britain.
Jones aims at providing an answer to the question of "Why did modern states and economies develop first in the peripheral and late-coming culture of Europe?" Jones attempts to argue a concatenation of various factors, in particular the interplay of natural and economic factors which have worked to Europe's advantage and to the disadvantage of its Asian competitors.
Jones's theories can be seen as building on the work of earlier thinkers such as Max Weber, Immanuel Wallerstein, G. W. F. Hegel, Adam Smith, and Karl Marx. Weber's idea of the Protestant work ethic and Hegel's Spirit were certainly influential. Wallerstein's idea of a world-economy and world-system originating in Europe also comes through in European miracle theory.
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