Session Abstract

By the middle of the nineteenth century, western Europe exerted an unprecedented military, economic, and cultural influence on the rest of the world.  Centuries earlier, its influence in all three domains had been nil. To make sense of this surprising reversal of fortune, historians compare Europe to other Asian societies, particularly China and India, and they invoke the "Great Divergence" and the "Military Revolution".  What does each of these paradigms have to offer?  Do they meaningfully distinguish cause from effect?  Would other approaches contribute more to understanding of global history?