How Europe Made the Modern World

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"One thousand years ago, a traveler to Baghdad or the Chinese capital Kaifeng would have discovered a vast and flourishing city of broad streets, spacious gardens, and sophisticated urban amenities; meanwhile, Paris, Rome, and London were cramped and unhygienic collections of villages, and Europe was a backwater. How, then, did it rise to world preeminence over the next several centuries? This is the central historical conundrum of modern times. How Europe Made the Modern World draws upon the latest scholarship in geography, demography, economics, law, and the history of technology, culture, institutions, and science, as well as other disciplines, to make sense of the Great Divergence. It avoids the twin dangers of Eurocentrism and anti-Westernism, strongly emphasizing the contributions of other cultures of the world to the West's rise, while rejecting the claim that there was nothing distinctive about Europe in the premodern era. Presenting stimulating arguments, an insightful interpretation, and detailed maps to illuminate key developments, this book will inspire students to think critically and engage in debates rather than accepting a single narrative of the rise of the West. It is an ideal primer for students studying in Western Civilization and World History courses"--