Great Divergence

Quick Facts: Who was Great Divergence?

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Great Divergence

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Socioeconomic shift where Western Europe surpassed other global powers in wealth and power.

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Origins & Early Life

The Great Divergence or European miracle is the socioeconomic shift in which Western Europe along with former settler colonies in Northern America and Australasia overcame pre-modern growth constraints and emerged as the most powerful and wealthy world civilization, eclipsing other previously dominant or comparable Eurasian civilizations such as Qing China, Mughal India, the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Iran, and Tokugawa Japan, among others. Scholars have proposed a wide variety of theories to explain why the Great Divergence happened, including mineral deposits, geography, culture, institutions, and luck. There is also disagreement about its timing. While some scholars cite the Commercial Revolution or emphasize slow, long-term structural social changes rooted in the medieval period, others point to the early modern era (15th or 16th century) as the definitive beginning, citing the origins of mercantilism and capitalism during the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, the rise of the European colonial empires, proto-globalization, the Scientific Revolution, or the Age of Enlightenment. Because the most significant surge in economic productivity happened in the late 18th and 19th centuries with the Industrial Revolution, the "California school" considers only this later period to be the "great" divergence.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Technological advances, in areas such as transportation, mining, and agriculture, were embraced to a higher degree in western Eurasia than the east during the Great Divergence. Technology led to increased industrialization and economic complexity in the areas of agriculture, trade, fuel, and resources, further separating east and west. Britain's extensive pre-industrialization use of coal as an energy substitute for wood in the 18th century gave it a major head start in modern energy production. The term "Great Divergence" was coined by Samuel P. Huntington in 1996 and used by Kenneth Pomeranz in his book The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy (2000). The same phenomenon was discussed by Eric Jones, whose 1981 book The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia popularized the alternative term "European Miracle".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Broadly, both terms signify a socioeconomic shift in which European countries advanced ahead of others during the modern period. The timing of the Great Divergence is in dispute among historians. The traditional dating is as early as the 16th (or even 15th) century, with scholars arguing that Europe had been on a trajectory of higher growth since that date. According to Stephen Broadberry and Runzhuo Zhai, the divergence began around 1700. Pomeranz and others of the California school argue that the period of most rapid divergence was during the 19th century.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1700: 1700 Milestone — According to Stephen Broadberry and Runzhuo Zhai, the divergence began around 1700.
2. 1981: 1981 Milestone — The same phenomenon was discussed by Eric Jones, whose 1981 book The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia popularized the alternative term "European Miracle".
3. 1996: 1996 Milestone — Huntington in 1996 and used by Kenneth Pomeranz in his book The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy (2000).

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Great Divergence

True or False: “The Great Divergence was definitively established as a process beginning only during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While the 19th century saw rapid divergence, some scholars argue that evidence suggests significant wage disparities existed as early as the 16th or even 15th centuries.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Great Divergence