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BaldBear_13 t1_j41dc35 wrote

Reply to comment by 2011StlCards in Why are coastlines crinkly near the poles but smooth in the tropics? by emsot

wars, or rather threat of them, can also contribute to development, as they encourage technological progress. E.g. gunpowder lead to cannons, and that lead to better metallurgy, which had all sorts of useful peaceful uses.

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2011StlCards t1_j41fo6y wrote

Yep, nothing better for weapons technology than requiring better cannons to stop your enemy

And you need Good taxation structure to be able to obtain the wealth necessary to pay for those cannons

And good taxation structure leads to stronger, more centralized governments

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BaldBear_13 t1_j41p68v wrote

also need active trade and industry to collect taxes from, which requires robust laws and property rights.

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UnarmedSnail t1_j44xnwd wrote

There's a fair amount of randomness to it as well. You need all these important pieces, but you need them to come together in the right way, the right time, and in the right place. The ancient Greeks had all they needed to jumpstart the industrial revolution 3,000 years ago, but the pieces were locked away as religious displays and secret knowledge in mystery cults.

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BaldBear_13 t1_j44xut2 wrote

do you have more detail on what the pieces were? A link is fine, or a name of a book or author.

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UnarmedSnail t1_j4527gk wrote

They had chemical batteries that would be connected to statues of Zeus that would shock when touched. They had primitive steam engines that would spin up when boiling water was heated inside them. They had the archimedes screw. Complex machines for milling,stamping, grinding. If someone had known of all these pieces and thought to combine these technologies to actually do work then you have an industrial revolution.

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