Beyond East and West:

Spatial Hierarchies of Economic Development in the Habsburg Monarchy in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Abstract

The period between 1648 and 1815 saw an increase in regional disparities throughout the Habs-burg Monarchy. While this was also fostered by the expansion of the Habs-burg dominions at the turn of the 17th to the 18th century, the main causes de-rived from shifting economic activities from mining towards proto-indus-trial textile production. Both domestic market integration and connections to global markets contributed to this development. In contrast to both tra-ditional and current narratives, this article stresses the multiple and com-plex division of labour between core, semiperipheral and peripheral areas in the Monarchy amidst growing regional disparities. Imperial policies that fostered transregional competition supported this process, while discrimina-tory measures as well as the shift of tax burdens towards peripheries caused a growing imbalance of regional development.