David Landes Revolution In Time

211 Words1 Pages
Prior to the emergence of capitalism in 14th century Europe, all social relations were mediated by varying, unrelated, social formations and systems, such as trade, religion, families and tradition. Given the previous fact, a ubiquitous question is voiced amongst various economic thinkers, including David Landes in Revolution in Time, what was the primary mechanism behind Western Europe’s transformation from an isolated cesspool of backward thinking and traditional practice, into the engine of global commerce?
Landes claims the driving force of capitalism was the revolution in time. In his solution, Landes is concerned with the historical origin of the interest in time-measurement, which he asserts led to the invention of the clock, more importantly