Dr Jordan Claridge & Dr Jason Lennard

How has humanity shifted from a state where lives were brutish and short, to one where people live significantly longer and are much better off? Why are some countries rich and others poor? Why has this been the case in history, and why is it still the case today? These are some of the important questions the study of Economic History seeks to uncover.

This course aims to provide you with an introduction to economic history that applies a long-lens to its understanding of the world. By looking further into the past, you will explore how recent work across the social sciences has revealed that the answers to the most important questions about human history can be found much earlier than the Industrial Revolution.

Engaging with cutting-edge research in the field you will explore the deep roots of divergence, considering economic and social structures before industrialisation. Looking at examples from around the world you will understand why living standards and economic performance have improved markedly, while at the same time, looking at how development has diverged between different societies.

Grappling with key debates such as how Western Europe overcame pre-modern growth constraints in the 19th century to the importance of slavery for Atlantic commerce this course endeavours not just to describe these processes, but also to suggest and consider explanations for them. As a result, by the end of the course you will have developed the quantitative reasoning skills and conceptual language to discuss important historical events that have shaped society today.