Why Was It Europeans Who Conquered the World?

By the 1700s Europeans dominated the gunpowder technology, which was surprising, because it had originated in China and been used with expertise throughout Eurasia. To account for their dominance, historians have invoked competition, but it cannot explain why they pushed this technology further than...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of economic history Vol. 72; no. 3; pp. 601 - 633
Main Author HOFFMAN, PHILIP T.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.09.2012
Subjects
18th century
Average variable cost
Decision making
Economic history
Firearm discharge residue
Fixed costs
Gunpowder
Innovations
Middle Ages
Military policy
Military technology
Naval warfare
Navies
Political power
Public good
Studies
Taxes
Technological innovation
War
Weapons
Europe
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Summary:By the 1700s Europeans dominated the gunpowder technology, which was surprising, because it had originated in China and been used with expertise throughout Eurasia. To account for their dominance, historians have invoked competition, but it cannot explain why they pushed this technology further than anyone else. The answer lies with a simple tournament model of military competition that allows for learning by doing. Political incentives and military conditions then explain why the rest of Eurasia fell behind Europeans in developing the gunpowder technology. The consequences were huge, from colonialism to the slave trade and even the Industrial Revolution.
ISSN:0022-0507
1471-6372
DOI:10.1017/S0022050712000319