ECON 30723 European Economic History I John Lovett

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Study questions for Jones’ Intro and Chapters 1

Readings: Jones, Eric. (2003). The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia. pp xxii – xxxv, Chapter 1

0. _______ How old is "The European Miracle"? In what year was the 1st edition published.

1. Place check marks () in the table below to describe Jones’ view of pre-industrial Europe.How did Europe compare to China (and to some extent India and the Middle East) according toJones during the period of roughly 1100 – 1600?

Pre-industrial (≅ 1100 – 1600 ) Europe v China according to Jones

Characteristic Europe It’s a tie! China

Higher average living standard

Greater gap between rich and poor

More domestic animals per capita (and larger animals)

Cattle, not pigs, dominate

Greater energy production & use per person

Many resources are available from hinterlands and colonies.

Greater rate of parasite infestation (parasites infecting humans)

More very large public government works

Greater population density

r-strategy adopted (re-productive strategy)

K-strategy adopted (re-productive strategy)

High birth rates

Marriage typically comes at a relatively young age

Very severe natural disasters

Nuclear families, rather than extended families, are the main unit

Don’t risk today's income by putting it into an investment projectThe best chance of future success comes from having as many kids as possible to best ensure at least some survive.

ECON 30723 European Economic History I John Lovett

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#’s 2 - 7 are from the lectures that will accompany the Jones readings rather than from the Jones readings itself.

2. What is the nameof part 1, part 2,and part 3, of theplow shown atright? Don’t worryabout part 4.

3. _____ Assuming the plow is used in England, to what era does the plow most likely belong?a. the pre-Roman erab. the Roman era

c. the Middle Agesd. the late 1800’s after the advent of the farm tractor

4. _____ It’s the year 1000 AD and you are watching a plow being pulled across a field in France.What is most likely pulling this plow?

a. a team of draft gerbils

b. a team of oxen

c. a team of humans

d. a team of draft horses

e. a steam powered tractor

f. a rope that goes around a tree (to change direction) then winds around the axle of a water wheel

5. _____ It’s the year 1670 AD and you are watching a plow being pulled across a field in France.What is most likely pulling this plow?

a. a team of draft gerbils

b. a team of oxen

c. a team of humans

d. a team of draft horses

e. a steam powered tractor

f. a rope that goes around a tree (to change direction) then winds around the axle of a water wheel

6. Which of the following are advantages horses have over oxen as draft animals? Check () anyand all that apply._____ Members of the opposite sex dig horses. If you are a medieval babe and want to date a

medieval dude, show up to his house with a pair of horses. Same thing if you are medieval dude wooing a medieval babe, medieval hermaphrodite wooing, etc..

_____ Horses are cheaper to feed and care for. “Hay is for Horses. Oats are for Oxen.” _____ Horses can work much longer hours than oxen. _____ Horses can pull faster, therefore allowing them to plow more in a work day.

Put yer backs into it ye mangy curs, or back in the plastic ball ye go!!!

plow

ropeplowman

bucket boy

axleman

ECON 30723 European Economic History I John Lovett

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7. Which of the following is an advantage oxen have over horses as draft animals? Check () anyand all that apply._____ Members of the opposite sex dig oxen. If you are a medieval babe and want to date a

medieval dude, show up to his house with a pair of oxen. Same thing if you are medieval dude wooing a medieval babe, medieval hermaphrodite wooing, etc.

_____ Oxen are cheaper to feed and care for. _____ Oxen, especially bullocks (steers) also give milk. _____ Oxen can pull faster, therefore allowing them to plow more in a work day.

Back to questions you should be able to get after reading Jones’ Intro & chapter 1.

8. _____ Jones is talking about “Oriental Despotism” again. To which area(s) does he apply theterm? Check () any and all that apply.

_____ Medieval China

_____ Medieval France

_____ Medieval England

_____ Dr. Tochkov’s Asian Economics course

_____ Medieval India

_____ Medieval Northern Italy _____ Medieval Sweden

9. _____ On the map of Asia below, indicate (draw a line around) at least 3 “Core areas” as definedin lecture. Also indicate the name of each “core” (ex. Russia, Atlantis, New Zealand, etc.).

A very cool and large map of Asia goes here.

10. _____ On the map of Europe below, indicate (draw a line around) at least 3 “Core areas” asdefined in lecture. Also indicate the name of each “core” (ex. Russia, Atlantis, New Zealand, etc.).

A very cool and large map of Europe goes here.

11. _____ During the High and Late Middle Ages ( 1000 AD – 1450 AD), technological progress inEurope was:a. almost non-existent. The technology at the end of the period was almost identical to that at the

beginning of the period.b. was overall negative. Many “arts” were forgotten and many advanced techniques fell into

disuse over the period.c. was relatively high and steady for human history prior to the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and

Industrialization.d. was relatively high and steady even when compared to the modern era.

12. ____ Yikes! You are living in England and a bunch of Viking raiders have just landed. There hereto pillage, loot, and pirate some DVDs. Ok. Just kidding about the DVDs. What is the mostlylikely year? This one is a bit more from lecture than the readings.a. 300 AD b. 600 AD c. 900 AD d. 1200 AD e. 1450 ADf. 1970, ‘74’, ’75, and ’77 AD (the Minnesota Vikings’ 4 Super Bowl appearances)

ECON 30723 European Economic History I John Lovett

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13. ____ Ou-oh! Instead of studying, you spent the weekend watching re-runs of the Vikings’ 4 SuperBowl appearances. Now you are in your European History class and the instructor is talking aboutthe rise of Nation-States in Western Europe. What time period is she most likely talking about?a. 100 - 250 ADb. 850 – 1000 AD

c. 1350-1500 ADd. 1946 - 1990 AD

14 – 22. Indicate the characteristics of each region according to Jones. Place a check () in each row. The first one has been done for you.

Characteristic during the Middle Ages Europe Asia

13.5. Rhymes with “stirrup” … sort of 14. Higher average incomes

15. Greater income inequality

16. Rulers have more absolute power

17. States have more contact & competitionwith their neighbors

18. States are typically larger in size

19. Empires are more typical and stable

20. There are only a few relatively largenatural geographic cores

21. Higher birth rates.

22. Older average age at 1st marriage

23. _____ In his book, The European Miracle, Jones puts forth a major thesis, one that we will notexamine in depth this semester. What, according to class notes, is the thesis that we will notexamine?a. The different disaster environments of Europe and Asia (ex. local floods & fires vs country

wide typhoons) resulted in two different types of states.b. By random chance, European written languages were based on alphabets whereas many Asian

languages were logographic, i.e. based on pictures and symbols. The greater flexibility of thealphabet system made it easier for Europe to store and disseminate learning.

c. China and India suffered from a “1st mover disadvantage”. They expended great effort toinvent new technologies, whereas Europe could copy these technology with little cost. Also,China and India became accustomed the 1st iteration of their inventions. Europe, in contrast,saw the inventions with an “open eye” and made many minor improvements.

d. The Muslim world, in effect, sacrificed itself to save Europe. In the 1200s, the MuslimAbbasid fought the Mongols and stopped them from entering Europe. No one stopped theMongols from entering China. Later, the Muslim Ottoman Empire defeated the ByzantineEmpire and thereby took pressure off of Western Europe.

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24. _____ The Black Death was pretty rough on Europe. Estimates are that between about 1347 and1350, the Black Death killed almost half of the population of western Europe according to recentestimates. Is there any way, posited by some historians, in which the Black Death may haveactually benefited Europe?a. Yes. The bacteria that caused the Black Death, killed off another bacteria which was

potentially even more fatal and fast spreading. The Black Death protected Europe from theWhite Horror.

b. Yes. The Black Death shrunk the size of European armies and thereby reduced warfare inEurope for the next century or so. Many have argued that, considering the entire period from1347 to 1500, the Black Death saved more lives than it cost.

c. Yes. The Black Death destroyed people but not land or physical capita. The survivors hadmuch more land and capital per person as a result. This allowed them to, after the initial shockof the Black Death, live much better.

d. No way. They call it the Black “Death” after all. It’s not the Black “Hurt feelings that I’llsoon get over”.

25. Check out the political map on the following page. Fill in the names of each of today’sEuropean countries. You can write the name of each country on the map and/or make a keybelow the map (ex. 35: Albania)Note: On an exam I will NOT ask for any of the following countries: Iceland, Estonia,

Latvia, Lithuania, Kaliningrad (actually part of the Russia), Belarus, Moldavia, Romania, Bulgaria (sorry Dr. Tochkov), Macedonia, Albania (sorry Dr. Nikaj), Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, … or … Vatican City, Monaco, San Marino, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, and Atlantis.

26. Jones roughly defines “Western Europe” as Europe north and west of a line drawn from Triesteto Leningrad. Figure out where Trieste and Leningrad are. Hint: Leningrad wasonly called Leningrad from 1917 to 1991. The name was changed back after the fall of theSoviet Union. Now, draw a line from Trieste to Leningrad. This line issometimes used by historians as a rough demarcation between “Western Europe” and the “Restof “Europe”

27. Next, draw a line from Trieste to Gdansk. This line is sometimes used by historians as arough demarcation between “Western Europe” and the “Rest of “Europe”.

28. One last line. Draw a line from Trieste to Riga. This line is sometimes used by historiansas a rough demarcation between “Western Europe” and the “Rest of “Europe”.

ECON 30723 European Economic History I John Lovett

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Sample Essay question… Just something to ponder for now. I’ll give you a list of possible essay questions about 1 week prior to our exam 1.

1. Why, according to Jones, were the various Chinese dynasties so much larger, in terms of landand people under their control, than political units in Europe?