ABSTRACT
The various developments outlined in previous chapters combined to create a vigorous phase of expansion. The spread of new technologies, the growth of towns and cities, a new sociocultural environment, a lively and widespread spirit of optimism, an increased division of labor, the monetarization of the economy, the stimuli to saving: all these factors encouraged economic expansion. What was decisive was no single factor but the particular mix achieved in the context of an altogether peculiar situation.
