An economic history of Portugal, 1143-2010

This book offers an exploration into the evolution of the Portuguese economy over the course of eighth 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, and the formation of an empire, to the integration of the nation into the European Communities and the Economic and Monetary Union. Through six chapters, we provide a 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 and the rise of liberalism and patterns of convergence. The book provides a novel 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.