Why Europe? The Rise of the West in World History, 1500–1850

Translated from English by M. Rudakov; edited by I. Chubarov. – Moscow: Gaidar Institute Press, 2014. – 224 p.

ISBN 978-5-93255-383-1

In this book, the renowned American sociologist and political scientist Jack Goldstone explains how Europe transformed itself in the 19th century from a peripheral and relatively backward region into a place where innovations on a grand scale took place, whose power increased immeasurably, and the well-being of the population increased dramatically. Was this rise a consequence of something unique about Europe? Was it the result of changes in the region’s relationships with the rest of the world? Was this heyday different from other similar periods in human history? Few historians are better able to answer such questions than Jack Goldstone, who has devoted several decades to understanding them. In this work, drawing on the latest research in this field, he provides the widest possible audience with his mature reflections on the reasons for Europe's rapid development.