Transition to Modernity Commercialization of agriculture – “a time when sheep ate men”. The modern state The development of Science Commodification of land, labor and capital. (Karl Polanyi “The Great Transformation”). Capitalism and Industrialism Advances in communications and transportation

Population changes Our ability to sustain life is what population figures tell us. In 1820 the planet reached a population of 1 billion people. (85% living on the equivalent of 1 dollar per day). The next billion was added in just one hundred years! By 1920, we had 2 billion inhabitants. (1950: 50% living on 1 dollar per day) The next billion was added in just 50 years.(1980: 31% living on 1 dollar per day) We now add one billion people every 12 years. (20% live on 1 dollar per day).

Average Life Expectancy In 1900, ALE was 50 in the leading economy, Britain, and 30 in the developing world. By 1960 it was 69 and 46 respectively. By 2000 it was 77 and 63.