Civilization: The West and the Rest

Competition (1x1)

Air date: May 24, 2012

Part 1 is at its best when exploring why China, which 500 years ago seemed poised to dominate the world, did not. While China turned inward, England did the opposite, with real consequences that could be seen in the very size of citizens in the two lands. “Trade brought an influx of new nutrients, like potatoes and sugar, while colonization allowed the emigration of surplus people,” Mr. Ferguson says of England. “Over time, the effect was to raise productivity, incomes, nutrition and even height.”