Today we will look more closely at the economic and political changes that took place in Europe after the Middle Ages that eventually caused the Industrial Revolution to start in England. We will also be working on the skills of note taking and paragraph writing.
Question of the Day
Why did Europeans get richer in the centuries after the Middle Ages?
Focus Questions
What was the Commercial Revolution and how did it increase economic freedom in Europe?
How did historical events in England lead to more inclusive political institutions there?
The vocabulary below is related to the work you are doing today and would be worth using in your paragraph. In a few classes you will have write an assessment in which you have to identify three of these that I will choose. Here is an example of an ID:
Alps: The Alps are a mountain range in southern Europe (France, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland). They were significant to European society between 1300 and 1750 because they were one of the physical landforms that made it difficult for Europe to be politically centralized under one government. Europe’s decentralization was a key to its economic development.
Historical Connection: Physical geography is important to the development of civilizations. Just as the Alps influenced the development of Europe, we have studied that the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers had an impact on the development of settlements and life in Mesopotamia.
Inclusive political institutions
Inclusive economic institutions
Feudal common field system
Manorialism
Serfdom
Feudalism
Putting-out system
Enclosure movement
Three-field system
Markets
Capitalism
Middle class
Black Death
Wages
Free labor
Magna Carta
Model Parliament
Elizabethan Bargain
English Civil War
Glorious Revolution
English Bill of Rights
No homework due.
We will have a lecture on this topic.
You will have time to read The English Revolution From the Restoration Monarchy to the Glorious Revolution (1660-1688). Reading it will give you more background knowledge to help you understand tonight's reading.
You will read one or more sections of Chapter 7 from Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson (in Blackboard). Acemoglu and Robinson argue in this book that more inclusive (pluralistic) economic and political institutions cause sustained improvements in economic well-being. They argue in this chapter that the Industrial Revolution happened first in England because of the development of such institutions there.
Assignment: For this assignment you will have a choice.
Option #1: You may choose to read only section one (3 pages) and explain on a notecard at the beginning of next class why Acemoglu and Robinson told the story of William Lee.
Option #2: You may choose to read sections one and two (9 pages) and explain on a notecard at the beginning of next class why Acemoglu and Robinson believe Europe became wealthy in this time period.
Option #3: You may choose to read sections one, two, and three (16 pages) and explain on a notecard at the beginning of next class why Acemoglu and Robinson believe Europe became wealthy in this time period.
Option #4: You may choose to read sections one and two, three, and four (27 pages) and explain on a notecard at the beginning of next class why Acemoglu and Robinson believe Europe became wealthy in this time period.
Option #5: You may read the entire chapter (30 pages) and explain on a notecard at the beginning of next class why Acemoglu and Robinson believe Europe became wealthy in this time period.
Readings:
For more information on this topic try, try these readings:
Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson wrote Why Nations Fail in which they argued that societies with more pluralistic ("inclusive") institutions are more likely to experience economic growth in the long-run than societies with non-inclusive ("extractive") institutions.
Videos: Try these Crash Course videos too.