Philip Hoffman offers striking new answers to this old question. It is a daunting task to attempt such an endeavor, let alone succeed as Hoffman has. Throughout the late medieval and the early modern period, western Europe met all the conditions needed to advance the gunpowder technology. [An] ambitious study. The answer to both questions are roughly the same, and are presaged nicely in your fantastic new book “Ultrasociety” (which deals with the time period up to the breakthrough era). In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. United Kingdom --Edward Rothstein, Wall Street Journal "[Why Did Europe Conquer the World?] ©2000-2021 ITHAKA. Why did Europe diverge economically from both history and the rest of the world (the Great Divergence or Modern Breakthrough)? Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if certain variables had been different, Europe would have been eclipsed, and another power could have become master of the world. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. In the long run, they all fell behind. "—Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist, "History and counterfactuals blend into a fluent thesis, underpinned by diverting tables of data. Hoffman's answer: chronic military conflict that gave European leaders incentives to harness widely known gunpowder technologies more effectively than leaders in other parts of the world. reveals the startling reasons behind Europe's historic global supremacy. Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if certain variables had been different, Europe would have been eclipsed, and another power could have become master of the world. $30 (cloth), ISBN: 978-0-691-13970-8. The tournament in western Europe drove rulers to spend heavily on the gunpowder technology, and ultimately it won them supremacy in its use. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. "—Robert Fulford, National Post, "Big-picture economic history at its best. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, distinguished economic historian Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. will change interpretations of European warfare, the financing of conflicts, transitions in other regions of the world, the causes of the Industrial Revolution, and the Great Divergence—topics that are at the forefront of history, economics, and political science today. He first clears the ground by dismissing Europe’s industrialisation or its biological advantage (in disease) as primary causes. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. But why did Europe establish global dominance, when for centuries the Chinese, Japanese, Ottomans, and South Asians were far more advanced? . Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if certain variables had been different, Europe would have been eclipsed, and another power could have become master of the world. "—Edward Rothstein, Wall Street Journal, "[Why Did Europe Conquer the World?] Hoffman sheds light on the two millennia of economic, political, and historical changes that set European states on a distinctive path of development, military rivalry, and war. The consequences determined which states established colonial empires or ran the slave trade, and even which economies were the first to industrialize. The other major Eurasian powers could not maintain that unrelenting pace. Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Although Europe represents only about 8 percent of the planet's landmass, from 1492 to 1914, Europeans conquered or colonized more than 80 percent of the entire world. Debunking traditional arguments,Why Did Europe Conquer the World? Western Europe’s military power had collapsed, its political leaders were concentrating on economic recovery and domestic social spending, and opposition to empire (bolstered by the Cold War)... JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations--such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution--fail to provide answers. China in Economics Books from Princeton University Press. Yes, they could improve the technology on their own and at times catch up with the western Europeans or perhaps even leap ahead in certain respects, but they simply could not keep up the same relentless pace of innovation. For example, Western Europeans began to conquer the world in the late 15th and early 16th century, in any case long before the 19th century when industrialization took off, first in Britain and later in the rest of Western Europe, so industrialization cannot be the cause of the outcome that had begun in earnest two centuries before. Hoffman sheds light on the two millennia of economic, political, and historical changes that set European states on a distinctive path of development, military rivalry, and war. Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. Historians, social scientists, and biologists have all sought to answer this question, so far without success. Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if certain variables had been different, Europe would have been eclipsed, and another power could have … You do not have access to this The European powers fought in the rest of the world, and their military rivalries within Europe lived on. "—Jari Eloranta, EH.net, "Impressive. Why do major powers arise? Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. Pp. [T]his book is a classic of economic history, which should be required reading. Understanding why requires a look at the political, military, and fiscal incentives rulers faced, both in Europe and in other parts of Eurasia. But how did this lavish government spending and the technological lead end up translating into conquest? Abstract: Between 1492 and 1914, Europeans conquered 84 percent of the globe. Also a good reminder of what economic history brings to today's economic and political table. Hoffman stresses how incentives made Europe's princes unusually bellicose and willing to promote improvements in war technology. resources including these platforms: The startling economic and political answers behind Europe's historical dominance. Directions. This resulted in astonishingly rapid growth in Europe's military sector, and produced an insurmountable lead in gunpowder technology. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations--such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution--fail to provide answers. provides a clear and consistent answer to the question from its title, in an outstanding manner, exemplary for the future work of economic historians. But why did Europe rise to the top, when for centuries the Chinese, Japanese, Ottomans, and South Asians were far … Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if certain variables had been different, Europe would have been eclipsed, and another power could have become master of the world. 2A Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District United States The book Why Did Europe Conquer the W orld? - Philip T. Hoffman - Princeton University Press - 9780691139708 - Kitap JSTOR®, the JSTOR logo, JPASS®, Artstor®, Reveal Digital™ and ITHAKA® are registered trademarks of ITHAKA. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations—such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution—fail to provide answers. Phone: +86 10 8457 8802 The case against colonialism gathered strength after World War II. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations―such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution―fail to provide answers. His longer answer is more unsettling: the political and geographical forces that made Europe's precocious economic development possible were inseparable from the arms race which enabled European states to win wars. September 01, 2015. [How Did Europe Conquer the World?] 288. The consequences determined which states established colonial empires or ran the slave trade, and even which economies were the first to industrialize. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015. "—Lisa Kaaki, Arab News, "An intriguing and compelling contribution to the riveting debate on the causes of European hegemony in the world over the last five hundred years. The Princeton Economic History of the Western World. Pp. "—Jan De Vries, American Historical Review, "A powerful argument that resonates strongly with recent work in international political economy (Herman Schwartz) and political science (Ned Lebow). 18 figs. World conquest was then easy. Where did this technological superiority come from? . Arguing instead for the pivotal role of economic and political history, Hoffman shows that if Directions, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock "—Stergios Skaperdas, University of California, Irvine, 41 William Street Hoffman, Philip T., Why did Europe conquer the world? is a very interesting addition to the flourishing history of the world genre. Hoffman sheds light on the two millennia of economic, political, and historical changes that set European states on a distinctive path of development, military rivalry, and war. In Why Did Europe Conquer the World?, distinguished economic historian Philip Hoffman demonstrates that conventional explanations--such as geography, epidemic disease, and the Industrial Revolution--fail to provide answers. And they did that long before most of western Europe had grown richer than the rest of the world, for even in 1800, only Britain and the Low Countries could boast of higher wages than the wealthiest parts of Asia, and Britain alone was the only part of the world to have begun industrializing.¹. His elegant econometric model shows that by fighting constant wars with each other and never allowing a single hegemon to emerge, Western polities had greater incentives and opportunities to improve their military technology than their counterparts elsewhere. Unit 2702, NUO Centre Hoffman's short answer is gunpowder or military technology. Diplomats at the Congress of Vienna had fashioned a coalition that discouraged armed conflicts within Europe until late in the century. lution began in Europe and gave Europeans tools—from repeating rifles to steam-powered gunboats— that assured their military supremacy. Competition with each other moved Europe to conquer Africa, apart from Christian Ethiopia. Try logging in through your institution for access. (For EndNote, ProCite, Reference Manager, Zotero, Mendeley...), Chapter 2 How the Tournament in Early Modern Europe Made Conquest Possible, Chapter 3 Why the Rest of Eurasia Fell Behind, Chapter 4 Ultimate Causes: Explaining the Difference between Western Europe and the Rest of Eurasia, Chapter 5 From the Gunpowder Technology to Private Expeditions, Chapter 6 Technological Change and Armed Peace in Nineteenth-Century Europe, Chapter 7 Conclusion: The Price of Conquest, Appendix A Model of War and Technical Change via Learning by Doing, Appendix B Using Prices to Measure Productivity Growth in the Military Sector, Appendix E Model of Armed Peace and Technical Change via Research, Princeton Economic History of the Western World.