Introduction: Economic history and economic development -- Economic development in ancient times -- Economic development in Medieval Europe -- Non-Western economies on the eve of western expansion -- Europe's second logistic -- Economic nationalism and imperialism -- The dawn of modern industry -- Economic development in the nineteenth century: basic determinants -- Patterns of development: the early industrializers -- Patterns of development: latecomers and no-shows -- Strategic sectors -- The growth of the world economy -- Overview of the world economy in the twentieth century -- International economic disintegration -- Rebuilding the world economy, 1945-73 -- The world economy at the beginning of the twenty-first century