![]() ![]() (2) The rise of capitalism caused a dramatic deterioration of human welfare. ![]() Historically, unskilled urban labourers in all regions tended to have wages high enough to support a family of four above the poverty line by working 250 days or 12 months a year, except during periods of severe social dislocation, such as famines, wars, and institutionalized dispossession – particularly under colonialism. (1) It is unlikely that 90% of the human population lived in extreme poverty prior to the 19th century. The evidence we review here points to three conclusions. We ask whether these indicators improved or deteriorated with the rise of capitalism in five world regions - Europe, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and China – using the chronology put forward by world-systems theorists. ![]() We assess this narrative against extant data on three empirical indicators of human welfare: real wages (with respect to a subsistence basket), human height, and mortality. These claims rely on national accounts and PPP exchange rates that do not adequately capture changes in people’s access to essential goods. This paper assesses claims that, prior to the 19th century, around 90% of the human population lived in extreme poverty (defined as the inability to access essential goods), and that global human welfare only began to improve with the rise of capitalism. ![]()
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