[PEN-L:11704] Re: Re: taking stock

[Stephen E Philion <philion@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, 25 Sep 1999, James M. Blaut wrote:

James,
What are the implications (as you see them) for the Chinese political
economy at present of China and Europe being roughly equal at the turn of
the 18th century?

In China, this is a big bone of contention for Dengists, something they
love to harp on...China went wrong by not developing the forces of
production etc. etc....now is the time to not make the Maoist mistake
again, embrace markets, open more markets to competition from foreign
capital and move forward...Ya see, we were  equal with the
west (however loosely defined that term is) then....so we have nothing to
fear  in opening  more to markets, global, national, or alien...

Steve



>
> Michael, hopefully you'll be with me at the conference on the rise of
> Europe at UC-Davis, in mid-October. A slue of people who make some of the
> same arguments as I do will be giving papers there. For instance: a group
> of California sinologists/economic historians, including Ken Pomeranz, Bin
> Wong, and Jack Goldstone, who have data that show China as on a par with
> Europe in terms of level and direction and rate of development down through
>  the 18th century. Also, a group of economic historians of agricul;ture
> (Gregory Clark, George Grantham, and others) who reject the idea that an
> agriculturasl revolution occurred in England, or rather that the
> development of agirculture somehow underlay economic development before or
> during the industrial revolution.
>
> Cheers
>
> Jim B
>
>