ABSTRACT
Fornearly350yearsscholarshavewrestledwiththe"generalcrisisof theseventeenthcentury."Certainfactsarenotindispute.Thefirsthalf oftheseventeenthcenturysawawidespreadslowingandeventualhalt tothesteadyincreasesinpopulationandpricesthatbeganaround1500. Inaddition,rebellionsandrevolutionsshookregimesacrosstheEurasiancontinent,mostnotablytheEnglishRevolution;theFrondein France;theanti-HapsburgrevoltsinCatalonia,Naples,Sicily,andBohemia;theKhmelnitskyrevoltintheUkraine;thecelalirevoltsinthe OttomanEmpire;andthecollapseofMingruleinChina(Parkerand Smith1978;Aston1967).Butthereisnoagreementonhowtoexplain thesefacts.Historianscontestfiercelyoverthecauses,theconnections, andthesignificanceoftheseevents.
