Agriculture And Economic Development In Europe Since 1870

Whilst many books on the European economy have focused on the analysis of its industrial sectors, this book draws attention to the often ignored contribution made by the development of European agriculture over the past two centuries. In doing so, the authors adopt a revisionist perspective on the subject, addressing the lack of coherent study of the agricultural sector and reassessing old theories about the links between agricultural and economic development. In focusing on those countries which by 1870 still had a large agricultural sector, namely, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Greece and Turkey, this book determines the role of the agricultural sector in the economic development of Europe. These chapters demonstrate how the rate of development in the agricultural sector depended on specific industrial, political and market conditions; the diversity of ways and timings through which transformation was achieved is also considered.

Whilst many books on the European economy have focused on the analysis of its industrial sectors, this book draws attention to the often ignored contribution made by the development of European agriculture over the past two centuries. In doing so, the authors adopt a revisionist perspective on the subject, addressing the lack of coherent study of the agricultural sector and reassessing old theories about the links between agricultural and economic development. In focusing on those countries which by 1870 still had a large agricultural sector, namely, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Greece and Turkey, this book determines the role of the agricultural sector in the economic development of Europe. These chapters demonstrate how the rate of development in the agricultural sector depended on specific industrial, political and market conditions; the diversity of ways and timings through which transformation was achieved is also considered.

This two-volume set in a series on European economic history deals specifically with the development of France since 1870 to the present. The 36 articles cover topics such as agriculture, human capital, industrial studies, banking and money, foreign connections, quantitative data and more.

Annotation "This book addresses readers who are interested in economic history and the role of agriculture in economic development. The first part of the book describes agricultural progress in Europe and the USA since 1750, when modern societies began to develop. Although there were significant differences from country to country, agriculture was an engine of growth during the period 1750-1914." "The second part of the book builds a model of the development process. The author emphasises that it is not possible to explain development without looking simultaneously at the resources, technology, institutions and attitudes prevalent in a country."--Jacket.

This comprehensive volume brings together 20 articles on Italy's economic development since 1870 (written 1961-1992), some of which are published in English for the first time. The introduction provides the non-Italian reader with a general overview of the background to the essays collected. The work contains chapters on the development process, agriculture, industrialization, technical progress, industrial policy, the macroeconomic framework and the issue of geographical and economic dualism. Contributors include: D. Biggazzi, L. Cafagna, S. Fenoaltea, A. Gerschenkron, P. O'Brien, F. Spinelli, V. Zamagni.

This book follows the renovation of European economic history towards a more unified interpretation of sources of growth and stagnation. It looks at Portuguese agricultural development across the second Millennium, showing a sector that was often adaptive and dynamic. Portugal s economic backwardness was not overcome at the end of the period, but that is now only part of the story."

Wilhelm Abel's study of economic fluctuations over a period of seven hundred years has long been established as a core text in European agricultural history. Professor Abel was one of the first economic historians to make extensive use of statistical data, and his scholarship and approach have had a decisive effect on the orientation of economic and agricultural history. Using data on population, wages and rents from England, France, Germany and the Low Countries, and, on occasion, from Italy, Scandinavia and Poland, here Professor Abel demonstrates the striking similarity in the overall economic development for all these areas. He also analyses, the short-term fluctuations that have affected agricultural development within this economic framework, and is able to show the broad significance of the shape of the late medieval depression, the scale of the desertions of villages that accompanies it, and the implications of the sixteenth century price revolution. The book's importance lies in tracing the long-term trends that have characterized European economic development since the High Middle Ages, and as such it has made an invaluable contribution to all comparative analyses of different Western European countries since it was first published in 1980.

This book adopts a revisionist perspective on the European economy, addressing the lack of coherent study of the agricultural sector and reassessing old theories about the links between agricultural and economic development.