Transitions to Capitalism in Early Modern Europe

Revised, updated and expanded, this second edition of Robert S. DuPlessis' bestselling account of European economic development from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution analyzes agrarian, industrial, and commercial structures and practices within a global context, introducing classic interpretations, current debates and new scholarship.

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Between the end of the Middle Ages and the early nineteenth century, the long-established structures and practices of European trade, agriculture, and industry were disparately but profoundly transformed. Revised, updated, and expanded, this second edition of Transitions to Capitalism in Early Modern Europe narrates and analyses the diverse trends that greatly enlarged European commerce, permanently modified rural and urban production, gave birth to new social classes, remade consumer habits, and altered global economic geographies, culminating in capitalist industrial revolution. Broad in chronological and geographical scope and explicitly comparative, Robert S. DuPlessis' book introduces readers to a wealth of information drawn from throughout Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Europe, as well as to classic interpretations, current debates, new scholarship, and suggestions for further reading.