+1 862 207 3288 Economics
1. “The Rise of the West must be examined in global terms rather than with
reference only to developments within Europe. The European success was part
of a competitive race within a single global economy and a continuous global
historical process of economic change. The conquest of the Americas, the
commandeering of global trade and resources, and the Industrial Revolution,
were all expressions of global competition whereby Europe was trying to muscle
in on Asian economic dominance and by-pass the Islamic empires.” Critically
discuss.
2. Discuss and explain some of the ways that knowledge of the evolution of the
world economy up to 1800 might help us understand important aspects of the
modern world of our own times.
3. This chronological division of this course was between the ancient civilizations to
500 AD, the medieval period 500-1500, the early modern period 1500-1750, and
the early Industrial Revolution period, 1750-1800, and the geographical focus
was largely on the continent of Eurasia. Critically explain and discuss the
economic and historical rationales for this division and focus, and suggest some
ways you think the chronological and geographical coverage of the course might
be improved.
4. “The Industrial Revolution was the result of a long process of social, cultural,
scientific, commercial and economic evolution running back to the Middle Ages.
The greater level of this evolution by the late 18
th
century was an important
reason why the Industrial Revolution did not happen earlier, but the path to the
Industrial Revolution began much, much earlier.” Critically discuss.
5. Why did the small island of Great Britain play such a decisive role in the
economic history of the world by becoming the first industrial nation? Discuss.
6. Why did Western European nations end up dominating the rest of Asia and the
rest of the world economically, politically and militarily, rather than the other way
around, and, among Western European nations, why did Great Britain in
particular expand its wealth, influence and power? Also, when can this
domination be most accurately dated from; 1000, 1200, 1500 or 1800? Critically
discuss.
7. “The Industrial Revolution was first and foremost a technological event, not a
social, cultural, institutional or scientific one. It was the biggest and fastest
transformation of production in the history of the world, but the modern industrial
society and dominance of the West that it ended up leading to was largely
unanticipated, unforeseen and unintended at the time. The European and in
particular British path was extraordinary, but not because economic and
technological dynamism was unique in the world only to Europe and Britain,
relative to say India, China or the Ottoman and Persian empires for example, but
because by the 18
th
century Europe and Britain faced particular pressures and
challenges, and had particular opportunities – pressures, challenges and
opportunities that were largely absent elsewhere in the world.” Critically discuss.
8. “There was only one route to the 21
th
century and it traversed Northern Britain in
the late 18
th
century. Britain at that time found itself, by chance and circumstance,
at the epicentre of a revolution in manufacturing and transportation that would
forever alter the contours of world economic growth, and that instantaneously and
irreversibly altered the way people lived and worked.” Critically discuss.
9. “The Industrial Revolution that began in of the late eighteenth century was the
most important break in the history of mankind since the Neolithic period and the
development of agriculture.” Critically discuss.
10. The phenomenon known as the Industrial Revolution was the culmination of a
process that came together in the 1700-1800 period once a critical mass of
circumstances came together is something like a “Perfect Storm.” It is easy to
describe what occurred, much more difficult to explain why it occurred, and why it
occurred where and when it did.” Discuss.
