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PrefaceThe rise and fall of nations and states has always been a topic of keen interest in the fields of history, economics, political science, and other parts of the social sciences. This interest most likely results from the topic's direct connection to economic abundance, which we could describe as a prerequisite for happiness, an absolute value that humans seek. Even without relying on Marxist theory, it is undeniable that human history is a series of conflicts and compromises made at the least to provide sustenance and beyond that to increase material prosperity.To be sure, there have also been exceptional individuals who have given up the fierce battle for victory and the exhausting struggle for progress and contented themselves with their lot. But are we really sure that their lives were better than the material and spiritual abundance that is generally enjoyed in the developed world? Whether because it is our fate to compete over limited resources or our nature to always compare our lives to others, most nations and states, along with the individuals of which they consist, have dedicated themselves to the struggle to attain abundance. Despite the importance of the rise and fall of nations and states, no sound theory of national development is to be found that can consistently explain the economic growth that sustains such abundance or beyond that to guarantee that the developed and developing worlds will escape from the trap of recurring recessions and low growth so that they can grow and flourish together.I published my own theory about this issue a few years ago in Economic Growth: The New Perspectives for Theory and Policy (Springer Publishing, 2014). This book represents the synthesis of my intellectual journey: studying engineering in university, changing directions to economics in graduate school, and spending half my life as an economist. At the same time, I also wanted to determine how accurately the theory of economic growth I outlined in this book could predict the future.The decision I made after much deliberation was to undertake the study of history. Just as economic theories are commonly tested through real-world data that we accumulated over time, so it seemed to me that a careful study of history could allow me to test my hypothesis about the basic principles of national development vii viii Preface