About the Book

During the seven hundred years before the Industrial Revolution, the preconditions for Europe’s transformation from a backward agrarian society to a powerful industrialized society were established. Carlo Cipolla, an economic historian of international reputation, explores the process that made this transformation possible and, in so doing, sheds light on the complexities of the economic as well as the social and cultural factors involved.

Bridging the gap between current economic theory and economic history, the author deals with the persistent questions of preindustrial European economic history within a coherent analytical framework. The mentality and beliefs of the past are kept in mind as the tools of modern analysis are brought into play.

Drawing on a wide range of recent research and hitherto unavailable data, Professor Cipolla attempts to explain the workings of the social and economic system of preindustrial Europe through the interaction of supply and demand. He then traces the particular changes in the social and economic system that were most significant for the future of the continent.

This third edition includes substantial revisions and additions throughout the book and incorporates new material on the history of public dept, the development of the monetary system, the development of trades routes and productiuon, and the evolution of particular national economies. In so doing it secures the book’s standing as the most useful history available of preindustrial Europe.