Economic development of modern powers

Higgins wrote: "Stagnation is the rule, economic development is the exception that requires special explanation. The present book provides that explanation about the major modern powers viz., U.K., U.S.A., U.S.S.R. and Japan. During the last hundred years these countries have experienced highly accelerated rate of economic growth while the economies of a large number of remaining countries have either been stagnant or the pace of growth there has been very slow. For a considerably long period people in poor countries seemed to be very largely resigned to fate and had little concern for their poverty. But now the situation has changed. People want to know the factors that contributed to accelerate the pace of growth and made these nations to attain the heights of economic glory. The author makes a penetrating study of the economic development of these countries and concludes that this development was possible only due to the revolution in their agriculture and industry. So far as Soviet Union is concerned it has become a torch-bearer of planned development for all countries. Japan's exceptional march to economic altitudes has also been analysed. The book will bring us nearer the factors that made these developed countries economically great.