First published in 1993. In this classic textbook, Cipolla explores the slow but complex process of development that transformed Europe from its relatively weak position in AD 1000 into the highly dynamic and powerful society of 1700. The book is: * Interdisciplinary - blending the economist's and the historian's approach * Full of sources and commentary derived not only from social and economic history, but from the history of medicine, technology and ideas * Substantially revised for this new edition, to provide a greater wealth of illustrative material throughout the book * More detailed than the previous edition in its coverage of a number of specific topics including: the history of public debt; the development of the monetary system; the development of trade routes and production; and the evolution of particular national economies The author has also added many new illustrations, tables and figures.