Technology, Energy, and Civilization: Some Historical Observations
Charles Issawi
The degree of development (or, if you prefer, material civilization) any society is set by the size its surplus (the total amount it produces minus needed for bare subsistence population) and uses to which put. In Emerson's wise words, “The question history what each generation has done with produce. One bought crusades, one churches, villas, horses railroads.” is, in turn, determined four factors: energy available society, society's technology, mix economy, population. Until comparatively recently, was, important exception sailing ships, provided exclusively human or animal power. 1 Two steps forward were invention watermill that windmill; their will be discussed later. Nevertheless, been estimated until Industrial Revolution, some 80–85 percent was plants, animals, people. 2 This means basic factors determining a land (arable, pasture, woodland) had at disposal land's productivity. Land “was not simply principal source food population [the other being seas rivers] but also virtually sole raw materials used industrial production”—fibers, hides, hair, wood, so forth; almost all workers engaged processing agricultural materials.
International Journal of Middle East Studies