''The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia'' is a book written by

Eric Jones Eric Jones may refer to: *Sir Eric Malcolm Jones (1907–1986), British intelligence officer * Eric Jones (economic historian) (born 1936), British-Australian economist and historian * Eric Jones (footballer, born 1915) (1915–1985), English foot ...

in 1981 to refer to the sudden rise of Europe during the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

. Ahead of the Islamic and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

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 The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

further reinforced it. Jones's book gave rise to the term ''European miracle''. It is closely related to the idea of the

Great Divergence The Great Divergence or European miracle is the socioeconomic shift in which the Western world (i.e. Western Europe and the parts of the New World where its people became the dominant populations) overcame pre-modern growth constraints and eme ...

, but the latter's focuses, rather than the origins of the rise of Europe during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

, is the 18th-century culmination of the process and the subsequent " imperial century" of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Summary

Jones aims to explain why did modern states and economies developed first in the peripheral and late-coming culture of Europe. He attempts to argue a concatenation of various factors, in particular the interplay of natural and economic factors that has worked to Europe's advantage and to the disadvantage of its Asian competitors. The European miracle theory purports that the European nuclear family, with women marrying late and having few children, Europe's population was better controlled than in the rest of the world, which "multiplied insensately."''The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia'', 2nd Edition, Cambridge UP, p. 6 Europe was thus not vulnerable to Malthusian Crises and so could form a progressive

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...

society.

Urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

is also adduced as a factor. Crucially, the cities were also ''semi-autonomous'', especially the Italian city-states. The growth of banking, accounting and general financial infrastructure in such cities is seen as unique and vital to the rise of Europe.

Reception

Jones's study is one of the most influential books dedicated to the question of European exceptionalism. Some historians, in particular of the "California school", have felt that Jones overstated the degree of difference between Europe and non-European regions on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. The attention attracted by the book has also resulted in it being described by the American historian Joel Mokyr as "the whipping boy of those who have resented what they viewed as historiographical triumphalism, eurocentricity, and even racism." It has been attacked by thinkers such as James Blaut,

Andre Gunder Frank Andre Gunder Frank (February 24, 1929 – April 25, 2005) was a German-American sociologist and economic historian who promoted dependency theory after 1970 and world-systems theory after 1984. He employed some Marxian concepts on politi ...

Kenneth Pomeranz Kenneth Pomeranz, FBA (born November 4, 1958) is University Professor of History at the University of Chicago. He received his B.A. from Cornell University in 1980, where he was a Telluride Scholar, and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1988, ...

, and John M. Hobson. They accuse Jones of

Eurocentrism Eurocentrism (also Eurocentricity or Western-centrism) is a worldview that is centered on Western civilization or a biased view that favors it over non-Western civilizations. The exact scope of Eurocentrism varies from the entire Western worl ...

and "cultural racism" (Blaut's term).

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Summary

Reception

See also

Editions

References

Further reading