THE OXEN BEHIND THE PLOW? LES BŒUFS DERRIÈRE LA CHARRUE?
English version Prestige buildings follow development, not the other way around. CBON gets it all wrong. The economic history of the major Western powers demonstrates a remarkably similar development trajectory, structured in sequential stages. None of these nations began by building prestige infrastructure to stimulate their growth. On the contrary, they followed a logic of accumulation, production, and then social edification, before affording themselves the luxury of monumental prestige. Before building factories, a growing urban population had to be fed. In England and France, development began in the fields through agricultural productivity gains and the establishment of clear property rights. This allowed for the generation of surplus capital and freed up labor for other sectors. In the United States, territorial expansion and the mastery of agriculture were the primary drivers of wealth accumulation. Once the agricultural foundations were secured, capital was massively dir...
