The Economy of Europe in an Age of Crisis, 1600 1750

By Jan de Vries

Book Overview

By relating economic changes to the political backdrop, The Economy of Europe in an Age of Crisis, 1600-1750 describes and analyzes the economic civilisation of Europe in the last epoch before the Industrial Revolution. The author makes a special effort to apply economic reasoning to the economic forces of the period and challenges some longstanding opinions about what was and was not important in explaining economic performance. The significance of this study rests in its identification of the ways a 'traditional' society developed its economy despite the absence of the obvious growth factors of the nineteenth century. The approach is consciously comparative: problems of interpretation are identified; research not yet available elsewhere is incorporated into the text; and examples are drawn from minor as well as major countries in western and central Europe. Topics dealt with include the development of agriculture and industry, foreign and regional trade, urbanization, a study of demand in explaining economic growth, the bourgeoisie, and the state.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521290503
• ISBN13: 9780521290500
• Release Date: October 1976
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The Whole is Less Than the Sum of the Parts

This is a smart, sophisticated book about the European economy in the 1600s. De Vries seems to know everything there is to know about the subject: he writes lucidly about subjects ranging from colonial trade and commercial paper to feudal land law and rural industry. That said, the mass of details tends to overwhelm the central themes (whatever they are), and the narrative jumps from country to country, sector to sector, and decade to decade. The result is occasional confusion for the non-specialist reader who only wants the "big picture." Nevertheless, highly recommended.

Masterpiece of economic history

Considered a "classic" by professional historians and much loved by those of us who read history for fun. I first read this book in the mid 70's and I've re-read it more than 10 times since. De Vries masterfully presents the "big picture" of the growth of markets and colonialism, and weaves a tapestry of anecdotes and telling details that show how the big picture affected the lives of ordinary citizens who watched the world around them change in profound ways. If you enjoy economic history you will love this book. If you're new to economic history this would be a good book to experiment with, since DeVries writes intelligently and clearly.