The Global Economy: A Concise History

The Global Economy: A Concise History traces the history of the global economy over the past thousand years. In doing so, it explores all the main waves of globalization, from the trade revolution of the Middle Ages, to the Great and Little Divergence between the West and the East, as well as the North and the South of the world.

This book examines the Industrial Revolution and the World Wars, and their respective consequences, as well as the interaction between technological shifts and the transition in geopolitical equilibria. The last chapters are dedicated to an in-depth examination of the transformation which occurred in the global economy after 1989. The chronological structure of the book is designed to help students memorize and understand key events. This book also discusses broader themes, such as convergence–divergence, growth and decline, development, and industrial revolutions.

This will make it of interest not only to students and academics, but to all readers wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the history and current state of the global economy.

Andrea Colli is Professor of Economic History at Bocconi University, Italy. He has published several books and articles in fields such as the structure and evolution of SMEs, the role of family firms in modern economic growth, and foreign direct investment during the 20th century.

Franco Amatori is Professor of Economic History at Bocconi University, Italy. He specialized in business history during his time at Harvard Business School, USA, and has written extensively on Italian and international business history.