Abstract
We usually associate material prosperity with peace and stability. Capital flies when armies are mobilised. But here we have a politico-economic treatise, From Warfare to Wealth: The Military Origins of Urban Prosperity in Europe,that challenges this notion.The authors Mark Dincecco and Massimiliano G. Onorato statistically delineate the region stretching from southern England to northern Italy as the most urbanised belt in the continent, and also its 'economic backbone'. Its per capita GDP is approximately 40% more than the non-urban belt. It covers Belgium, the Netherlands, eastern France, western Germany, and Switzerland. And interestingly most of the battles have historically been fought inside this perimeter. The authors hold that wars drove the populace towards fortified urban centres. These centres grew in stature due to industrial acumen and technological advancement. Moreover, a right to property granted the arriving human capital to attain financial independence, which ultimately served metropolitan interests. This phenomenon has been described as 'warfare to wealth effect'.