Why Europe?: The Medieval Origins of Its Special Path - Couverture rigide

Mitterauer, Michael

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0226532534 ISBN 13 : 9780226532530

Editeur : University of Chicago Press, 2010

Synopsis

Why did capitalism and colonialism arise in Europe and not elsewhere? Why were parliamentarian and democratic forms of government founded there? What factors led to Europe's unique position in shaping the world? Thoroughly researched and persuasively argued, "Why Europe?" tackles these classic questions with illuminating results. Michael Mitterauer traces the roots of Europe's singularity to the medieval era, specifically to developments in agriculture. While most historians have located the beginning of Europe's special path in the rise of state power in the modern era, Mitterauer establishes its origins in rye and oats. These new crops played a decisive role in remaking the European family, he contends, spurring the rise of individualism and softening the constraints of patriarchy. Mitterauer reaches these conclusions by comparing Europe with other cultures, especially China and the Islamic world, while surveying the most important characteristics of European society as they took shape from the decline of the Roman empire to the invention of the printing press. Along the way, "Why Europe?" offers up a dazzling series of novel hypotheses to explain the unique evolution of European culture.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Michael Mitterauer is professor of social history at the University of Vienna and the author of numerous books, including A History of Youth. Gerald Chapple is associate professor of German at McMaster University.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: University of Chicago Press
• Date d'édition: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0226532534
• ISBN 13: 9780226532530
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 400
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: Wiley-VCH GmbH; product_safety@wiley.com; ; Boschstrasse 12; Weinheim; 69469; Allemagne