An Economic History of Portugal, 1143–2010

Abstract

A fascinating exploration into the evolution of the Portuguese economy over the course of eight centuries, from the foundation of the kingdom in 1143, when political boundaries began to take shape in the midst of the Christian Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, the formation of an empire, to the integration of the nation in the European Communities and the Economic and Monetary Union. Through six chapters, the authors provide a vibrant history of Portugal’s past with a focus ranging from the medieval economy and the age of globalization to war and recovery, the Atlantic economy, the rise of liberalism and patterns of convergence. The book provides a unique long-term perspective of change in a Southern European country and its empire, which responds to the fundamental broader questions about when, how, and why economies expand, stagnate or contract.