Military Conflict and the Rise of Urban Europe

Dincecco, Mark; Onorato, Massimiliano Gaetano

doi:10.2139/ssrn.2341713

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Military Conflict and the Rise of Urban Europe

Journal of Economic Growth, Vol. 21, No. 3

40 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2013 Last revised: 7 Dec 2017

See all articles by Mark Dincecco

Massimiliano Gaetano Onorato

University of Bologna - Department of Economics

Date Written: March 9, 2016

Abstract

We present new evidence about the relationship between military conflict and city population growth in Europe from the fall of Charlemagne's empire to the start of the Industrial Revolution. Military conflict was a main feature of European history. We argue that cities were safe harbors from conflict threats. To test this argument, we construct a novel database that geocodes the locations of more than 800 conflicts between 800 and 1799. We find a significant, positive, and robust relationship that runs from conflict exposure to city population growth. Our analysis suggests that military conflict played a key role in the rise of urban Europe.

Keywords: warfare, cities, political and economic development, Europe

JEL Classification: C20, O10, N40, N90, P48, R11

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Dincecco, Mark and Onorato, Massimiliano Gaetano, Military Conflict and the Rise of Urban Europe (March 9, 2016). Journal of Economic Growth, Vol. 21, No. 3, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2341713 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2341713