From Bread to Cake: A Social and Economic History of Europe

This book analyzes the rise of Western economies and civilization, offering a distinctive account of European economic and social history. From the economies of ancient Sumer, Egypt, Greece, and Rome in Mesopotamia and early Europe, through the economy of medieval Europe, it vividly examines the formation of modern economic globalization and clearly traces the shift of Europe's economic center from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. The book is divided into three parts and twelve chapters: the ancient world, the medieval world, and the modern and contemporary era. It explains in detail how economic change drove the course of history and how the economic and trade systems of today's world emerged and developed. This is an ideal introductory book for understanding the origins of the global economy as it exists today.