The First Modern Economy

Download or read book The First Modern Economy written by Jan de Vries and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1997-05-28 with total page 792 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The First Modern Economy provides a comprehensive economic history of the Netherlands during its rise to European economic leadership, the 'Golden Age', and subsequent decline (1500–1815). The authors argue that it was the first modern economy, and defend their position with detailed analyses of its major economic sectors, as well as investigations of social structure and macro-economic performance. Dutch economic history is placed in its European and world context, and inter-continental and colonial trade are discussed fully. Special emphasis is placed on the environmental context of economic growth and later decline, as well as on demographic developments. The authors also argue that the Dutch model of development and stagnation is applicable to currently maturing economies.