The Invention of Power Popes, Kings, and the Birth of the West

In the spirit of "Why Nations Fail," political science professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita tackles one of history's greatest mysteries: why the West became the world's most powerful civilization.

The idea of ​​Western exceptionalism—the notion that European civilizations are freer, richer, and less violent—is a pervasive and powerful political concept. In some societies, it has been a source of peace and prosperity, and in others, ethnic cleansing and chaos.

Drawing on his expertise in political maneuvering, deal-making, and game theory, political science professor Bruce Bueno de Mesquita takes readers back to the Middle Ages and debunks the common myth that Western civilizations were “freer, richer, and less violent” and explains how agreements between church and government shaped the course of European history and spurred the economic growth of entire regions.

What really lies behind the image of Western exceptionalism? Why did the Concordat of Worms in 1122 spur economic growth, promote secularization, and improve the lot of citizens? And is it true that countries that had a dynamic of competition between church and state have consistently been more successful than those that did not?

“The Invention of Power” is a groundbreaking historical study that upends conventional wisdom about European culture, religion, and race and presents a compelling new vision of world history.