Kenneth Pomeranz

The Great Divergence

1. IDEA 1

   Europe was not always ahead

   Pomeranz argues that until around 1800, the most advanced parts of China, such as the Yangzi Delta, were roughly as developed as the most advanced parts of Europe, such as England. Living standards, markets and life expectancy were broadly similar.

2. IDEA 2

   The real divergence came late

   Pomeranz argues that the great divergence, when Western Europe pulled sharply ahead, happened mainly in the nineteenth century. Earlier explanations that place Europe's lead much earlier, he suggests, are mistaken.

3. IDEA 3

   Both regions faced ecological limits

   Pomeranz describes how both England and the Yangzi Delta were running short of land, wood and food by the late eighteenth century. Their growth was pressing against the limits of their environments.

All 8 ideas from The Great Divergence →