Publisher's Synopsis
Why did capitalism emerge only in Western Europe? What is the relation between class and nation? Is the West declining, and what are its options? These are some of the questions asked by David Hume and Adam Smith - and Karl Marx - but often neglected in recent times. Now, in this book, the origins of the West's unprecedented economic dynamism is examined. John A. Hall offers a wealth of insights into many major topics, but they are always based on recent historical research. He shows, for example, how the rise of capitalism was related to Christianity in ways unsuspected by Max Weber. He goes on to consider how, today, the liberal political traditions of Europe - inevitably in conflict with those of state socialism and the Third World - must adapt or perish.
