Patterns of European Industrialisation

Interest in the historical development of the European economy has been heightened by the collapse of the iron curtain and the approach of 1992 in the European Community. Is the economic history of Europe that of an integrated economy or of many separate economies?
This volume illustrates the changes in our understanding of Europe's nineteenth century economic development that have taken place in the last quarter of a century. Alexander Gerschenkron's bold interpretation of European industrialization is a starting point for each of the chapters. His grand synthesis has been challenged by a number of later writers, but a new one has not emerged to replace it, despite the analytical opportunities such a synthesis might offer.
The contributors to this volume, all of them leading economic historians, present and discuss the latest research findings in their fields. One group of chapters is organised thematically whilst another set looks at recent interpretations of the modernization experiences of the key nations. The editor's introduction considers the benefits and difficulties of comparative economic history and of attempts to achieve a synthesis of Europe's experiences with industrialization.

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Table of contents : 1. Introduction Richard Sylla and Gianni Toniolo
Part I 2. Substitution for Prerequisites: Endigenous Institutions and Comparative Economic History C. Knick Harley, University of Western Ontario 3. The Role of Banks Richard Sylla 4. The Role of the State in Promoting Economic Development: The Russian Case and its General Implications Paul R. Gregory, University of Houston 5. Europe in an American Mirror: Reflections on Industrialization and Ideology William N. Parker, Yale University
Part II 6. Britain N.F.R. Crafts, University of Warwick, S.J.Leybourne, University of Leeds and T.C. Mills, City University Business School 7. France Maurice Levy-Leboyer and Michel Lescure, University of Paris, Nanterre 8. Germany Richard Tilly, Universitat Munster 9. Italy Giovanni Federico, Universita di Pisa and Gianni Toniolo 10. Austria-Hungary David Good, University of Minnesota 11. Russia Olga Crisp, University of London
Part III: On the Methodology of Economic History 12. Kinks, Tools, Spurts and Substitutes: Gerschenkron's Rhetoric of Relative Backwardness Donald N. McCloskey, University of Iowa