This book examines the rapid rise of ancient Rome and Qin to inform 21st century industrial development. It utilizes the concept of latecomer introduced in the 1950s by the political economist Alexander Gerschenkron, who used latecomer theory to explore the patterns of industrial development, with latecomers like Germany catching up with early movers like Great Britain. By extending this concept to the ancient world, the ways that Rome and Qin utilized militarization and political institutions to create advanced social and political systems are examined. It shows how this enabled them to catch up with and surpass the extant states of their time – in the case of Qin the other warring states in China, and in the case of Rome the extant states of the Mediterranean such as Greeks, Phoenicians/Carthaginians, and Etruscans.

The eventual fall of Rome in the 5th century CE is contrasted with the experience of the state of Qin, which created a state model that endured for centuries, to show the benefits and limitations of different forms of rule and state systems. The Roman emphasis on monopoly power is seen to have limited broader Western development for centuries. This book takes the successes and failures of ancient civilizations and applies the lessons learned using the latecomer concept to the economic development challenges seen today.

John A. Mathews is Professor Emeritus at Macquarie University, Sydney.