"Great Divergence" Redefined: The Rise and Fall of the West and the Recovery of China

              Proceedings of The National Conference
On Undergraduate Research (NCUR) 2013
University of Wisconsin La Crosse, WI
April 11 – 13, 2013
The “Great Divergence” Redefined: The Rise & Fall of the West & The
Recovery of China
Molly Britt Kroker
Department of History
Viterbo University
900 Viterbo Drive
La Crosse, WI 54601 USA
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Andrew J. Hamilton
Abstract
Up until the 19th century, China had held a position of world power; however, for the last two hundred years the
West has dominated the world technologically, economically, and politically. The point at which the West began its
relative dominance over all other world civilizations is known as “the Great Divergence.” Currently, a steady change
has been developing in China. Not only has China caught up to the West but also China’s economy is continuing to
accelerate at a rapid rate and may even surpass the West in the near future. One of the main reasons for the “Great
Divergence” is because of an underlying “Cultural Divergence,” which began as far back as in the “Axial Age” (c.
800-200 BCE). This “Cultural Divergence” was due to the beginning of the western philosophies of Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle in contrast to that of Confucius in China. Understanding this “Cultural Divergence” is relevant today
because it may help explain China’s lag behind the West, its recent ascent in economic power, and the impact of this
cultural perspective in economic development.
Keywords: China, the “Great Divergence,” Confucianism.
Introduction
The West (Western Europe and by extension the United States) has led the world in technological, economic,
political and social advancement over the past two hundred years, eclipsing all other world civilizations. The origins
of occurrence is often referred to as the “Great Divergence,” a phrase coined by the late American political scientist
Samuel P. Huntington.1 However, prior to 1800 China was the world leader in technology, commerce, and political
power. China is currently not only catching up to the West but may soon regain its leading role as the dominant
world influence. Avoiding a Eurocentric2 history, three questions need to be answered: first, how do we account for
the rapid economic development of 19th-century Western Europe in comparison to China? Second, why did China
begin to lag behind the West during the past two centuries? Finally, how do we explain the recent return of China to
global prominence?
Established scholars such as Jared Diamond and Robert Marks have produced compelling non-Eurocentric
accounts of the “Great Divergence.” However, these models can be overly reductive and incomplete. Both authors
provide explanations that stem ultimately from geographical accident. Research suggests that what is overlooked in
these corrective models is the historical impact of human culture. As such, it seems more appropriate to redefine the
“Great Divergence” as a “Cultural Divergence” that can be linked to the contrasting ideologies of the West and
those of China. Further, the roots of this divergence may lie not in the 19th century, but actually run as far back as
the “Axial Age” (c. 800-200 BCE) and the founding of Confucianism. In the end, it is clear that Confucianism must
be a key component in the explanation of not only the “Great Divergence,” but also China’s recent rapid return to
world eminence.
Classic Arguments for the “Great Divergence”
Jared Diamond, in Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), argues that the reason for the “Great Divergence” is that “History
followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples’ environments, not because of
biological differences among peoples themselves”’⁠5 Additionally, Diamond sees the causes for the “Great
Divergence” as primarily environmental (even just accidents of geography), mediated by agriculture, population