The Great Divergence

Name: The Great Divergence
ISBN: 9787547737750

彭慕兰 / 黄中宪Jun 2021

4.6

Word count: 280K words
Chapters: 21
ISBN: 9787547737750

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Summary

First published twenty years ago and still in print, The Great Divergence is the magnum opus of Kenneth Pomeranz, a leading figure of the California School. Drawing on a wealth of sources, Pomeranz examines economic development in the major countries and core regions of Eurasia in the early modern world and explores the key questions that shaped the modern world economy: Why did England not become the Yangtze Delta? Why did China and Europe take different paths? In Pomeranz's view, around 1750 the economic cores of England and China were strikingly similar in life expectancy, agricultural markets, labor systems, land use, capital accumulation, and technology. The core regions of China and Japan were no worse off ecologically than Western Europe, and throughout the eighteenth century the core regions of the old world faced localized shortages of land-intensive goods. East and West were traveling broadly similar paths of economic development, and the West held no clear advantage.

Editor's review

The value of The Great Divergence lies not in a simple conclusion but in returning the old question of why East and West took different paths to a concrete comparison of eighteenth-century Eurasia. Drawing on extensive sources, Pomeranz examines the economies and ecologies of England, the Yangtze Delta, Japan, and other core regions, showing that around 1750 they were strikingly similar in life expectancy, agricultural markets, labor systems, land use, capital accumulation, and technology, with Western Europe holding no clear advantage. What truly opened the gap was the geographical convenience of England's coal and the ecological relief brought by overseas colonies, not some innate cultural or institutional superiority. This argument challenges Eurocentric narratives and warns readers against reading history backward with hindsight. As you read, pay attention to the units of comparison, the choice of sources, and the chain of causation—absorb the insights while remaining cautious about grand explanations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the economic history of the Ming and Qing and in comparisons with European modernization.
Those who want to understand the views of the California School and the debate over Eurocentrism.
University students and researchers seeking a broader perspective on global economic history.
Serious readers willing to work through long arguments and engage with data and source analysis.

Not a good fit for

Readers who want only concise conclusions and are unwilling to follow comparative arguments.
General readers with little interest in economic history, ecological history, or institutional analysis.
Those who expect cultural character to explain the differences between East and West.

Reading tips

Read the introduction and conclusion first to grasp the author's questions and core claims, then move on to the regional comparisons.
Jot down the regions, periods, and indicators being compared as you read to avoid confusing the levels of argument.
Slow down in passages of data and sources, focusing on how the author moves from evidence to judgment.
After finishing, compare other explanations of the East-West divergence to test your own reception of the book.

版权信息
导论欧洲经济发展的比较、关联与叙事
第一部分有着惊人相似之处的世界
第一章欧洲领先亚洲？从人口、资本积累与技术解释欧洲发展
第二章欧洲与亚洲的市场经济体
第二部分从新风气到新经济？消费、投资与资本主义
导论
第三章奢侈性消费与资本主义的兴起
第四章看得见的手欧洲与亚洲境内的商行结构、社会政治结构和“资本主义”
第三部分超越亚当·斯密与马尔萨斯从生态限制到持续性工业成长
第五章共有的限制生态不堪负荷的西欧与东亚
第六章废除来自土地的限制美洲这个新型边陲地区
附录
附录A 对1800年左右德意志与北印度的人均陆路载运量的估计与比较
附录B 对18世纪晚期用在华北与欧洲农田之粪肥的估计，以及对因此产生之氮流量的比较
附录C 对法国、岭南与华北部分地区之森林覆盖率与燃料供给量的估计（1700—1850）
附录D 对多种进口品为18世纪晚期和19世纪初期的英国所提供之“幽灵地”面积的估计
附录E 对长江下游地区乡村纺织工人收益能力的估计（1750—1840）
附录F 对1750年及其后长江下游地区和整个中国棉花、丝产量的估计与联合王国、法国和德意志比较
致谢
参考文献

FAQ

What does “the great divergence” refer to?

The book examines why the core regions of Eurasia, which were still on broadly similar paths of economic development around the eighteenth century, later diverged markedly. Pomeranz focuses on conditions such as England's coal and overseas colonies rather than simply attributing the gap to inherent European cultural or institutional advantages.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to economic history?

It is not an easy introductory read; the argument involves regional comparison, land-intensive goods, labor systems, and ecological conditions. Readers with basic historical background who are willing to read slowly and follow the sources can gain solid training, while complete beginners may need to build up general historical knowledge first.

Are the book's views now settled?

No. It is a representative work of the California School and has provoked extensive discussion and rebuttal. It is best read as an explanatory framework supported by evidence—attend to its comparative method and causal reasoning, and learn about responses from other schools rather than treating a single conclusion as the final answer.

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About the author

彭慕兰 Author

Pomeranz is an overseas scholar of Chinese studies introduced to Chinese readers through translated works. Publicly available information on his nationality, dates of birth and death, education and academic posts is limited, so these details cannot be given here. Judging from the two works in the library collection, his research spans socio-economic history and regional history. The Great Divergence addresses the long-term divergence of Chinese and Western economies, a macro-comparative work at the intersection of finance and social science. The Making of a Hinterland: State, Society, and Economy in Inland North China, 1853–1937 focuses on a single region in modern North China, examining the interaction of state power, social structure and economic change. Though different in subject, both books show a style that uses concrete historical sources to support large questions, combining analysis with narrative, and both offer useful reference for Chinese scholars and readers interested in modern China's economic transformation.

黄中宪 Author

Little is known about Huang Zhongxian's life, and public information about him is limited, yet his translations and compiled works have made a noticeable impact among Chinese readers. Seven of his works are included in the collection, spanning foreign literature, finance, popular science, and history, which reflects a broad range of interests. His representative works include the Shantaram series, The Great Divergence, a new edition of Silent Spring, and Vermeer's Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World. These titles suggest that he is drawn to works with narrative power and intellectual depth, translating contemporary foreign novels while also engaging with economic history, environmental science, and global history. His choices tend to balance readability and knowledge, offering Chinese readers relatively reliable texts for understanding foreign literature and academic discussion.