World trade since 1431 : geography, technology, and capitalism
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Bibliographic Information
World trade since 1431 : geography, technology, and capitalism
Johns Hopkins University Press, c1993
- : pbk
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"Published in cooperation with the Center for American Places, Harrisonburg, Virginia"--T.p. verso
Includes bibliographical references (p. [333]-352) and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
ISBN 9780801842412
Description
In 1431, the Portuguese navigator Velho set sail into the Atlantic, establishing a trade route to the Azores and marking the beginning of commerce with the West as we know it today. Equipped with reliable maps and instruments for open-ocean navigation and highly seaworthy, three-masted, cannon-armed ships, Portugal soon dominated the Atlantic trade routes - until the diffusion of Portuguese technologies to wealthier polities made Holland the eventual successor, owing to its geographic position and its immense commercial fleet. It is precisely this interplay of technology and geography, argues Peter J. Hugill, that has guided the evolution of the modern global capitalistic system. Tracing the relationship between technology and economy over the past 550 years, Hugill finds that the nations that developed and marketed new technologies best were the nations that rose to world power, while those that held onto outdated technologies fell behind.
Moreover, he argues, major changes in transportation and communication technologies actually constituted the moments of transformation from one world economy to another; the ramifications of technological change consistently influenced all aspects of the capitalist world system, including economic development, geopolitical strategy and world system hegemony. Finally, Hugill applies the same analysis to project the future of the transnational global system we have today.
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780801851261
Description
Equipped with reliable maps and instruments for open-ocean navigation and highly seaworthy, three-masted, cannon-armed ships, Portugal dominated the Atlantic trade routes-until the diffusion of Portuguese technologies to wealthier polities made Holland the eventual successor, owing to its geographic position and its immense commercial fleet. It is precisely this interplay of technology and geography, argues Peter J. Hugill, that has guided the evolution of the modern global capitalistic system. Tracing the relationship between technology and economy over the past 550 years, Hugill finds that the nations that developed and marketed new technologies best were the nations that rose to world power, while those that held onto outdated technologies fell behind. Moreover, he argues, major changes in transportation and communication technologies actually constituted the moments of transformation from one world economy to another.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Geographic Reality in the Development of Capitalism
Chapter 2. Technology and Geography in the Elaboration of Capitalism
Chapter 3. The Triumph of the Ship
Chapter 4. The Problem of Overland Transportation: Canals, Rivers, and Railroads
Chapter 5. The Return to Overland Route Flexibility: Bicycles, Cars, Trucks, and Busses
Chapter 6. Aviation and the First Global System
Chapter 7. World System Theory and Geographic Reality
References
World Maps
General Index
Index of Proper Names
by "Nielsen BookData"