Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-319) and index.
Contents:
Exceptionalism -- Two swords, one church -- The concordat game -- Secularism surges -- The road to prosperity -- The road to Papal serfdom and liberation -- The birth of states, the birthing of representative democracy -- Today.
Summary:
"This book solves one of the great puzzles of history: why did the West become the most powerful civilization in the world? Political scientist Bruce Bueno de Mesquita explains the consolidation of power in the West through a single, little noticed event: the 1132 Concordat of Worms. Bueno de Mesquita makes a deeply researched and persuasive case that the Concordat changed the terms of competition between churches and nation-states, incentivizing economic growth and benefiting citizens over kings and popes. In the centuries since, those countries that have had similar arrangements have been consistently better off than those that did not"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.