为何西方国家普遍富裕？是哪些优势造就了它们的繁荣？

Peter Kaye
From history, in the early days, they stole whatever they wanted, that gave them wealth to develop further, and that in turn made them wealthier still, the rest? Were the suckers they stole from, China and African countries come to mind, also South America had a lot of gold stolen in the old days, Spaniards were the culprits there, while the Dutch Brits and French sailed the rest of the world to see what they could plunder, also Europe was far more populated and fought with each other, that in itself gave each lot an incentive to better themselves to try to beat the others that’s where the original war mentality started, the strongest was mostly the victors, and of course made them more wealthy, by grabbing what ever they could, then of course “ industries started to compete with one another, which made them wealthier still, while most “ eastern countries “ just plodded along peacefully,
从历史来看，早期他们想要什么就抢什么，这让他们积累了财富，得以进一步发展，而这种发展又使他们更加富有。其他国家呢？成了被掠夺的倒霉蛋，比如中国和非洲国家；南美洲也在早期被洗劫了大量黄金，罪魁祸首是西班牙人。而荷兰人、英国人和法国人则航行到世界各地，看看还能掠夺什么。欧洲人口本就更多，而且彼此之间经常战争，这种内斗反而促使他们不断自我提升，以战胜他人，这也是战争心态的起点。最强者往往是胜者，自然也就更加富有，因为他们能抢到更多。随后，各类工业开始互相竞争，这又进一步加速了他们的富裕。而大多数“东方国家”则始终安稳地缓慢前进。

that is the very simplified version, human nature being what it is, or “ western human nature,” which in my mind is different to the way Asians think, is the difference.
这只是非常简化的版本。人性本如此，或者说是“西方的人性”，我认为这与亚洲人的思维方式本质不同，这才是差别所在。


Karl Smithe
Technology!
The word ‘technology' did not attain popular usage until the 1950s and 60s. However wooden ships capable of reliably sailing across the oceans were technology and they were the beginnings of great Western wealth.
Jared Diamond covered this in “Guns, Germs & Steel”.
Germs wiped out most of the natives in North and South America making the continents easy pickings. Other technologies compounded the situation, the Cotton Gin, Steam Trains and Electricity.
Science and Technologies are hierarchical and feed on themselves. In order to figure out D you have to know C. To figure out C you must know B which required A. So once ahead there is a tendency to stay ahead.
科技！
“Technology”这个词直到20世纪50、60年代才广泛使用。但早期那种能稳定航行远洋的木船，本身就是科技，它们开启了西方巨额财富的起点。
贾雷德·戴蒙德在《枪炮、病菌与钢铁》中对此有详细探讨。
病菌几乎消灭了南北美洲的大多数原住民，使这些大陆变成了轻易的猎物。之后出现的其他科技加剧了这一局面，比如轧棉机、蒸汽火车和电力。
科学和技术是有层级的，而且是递进式的。要理解D，你必须先掌握C，而理解C又必须懂B，而B的前提是A。一旦领先，就很容易保持领先。


Stephen Phillips
We vary a lot. What we have in common is
The rule of law honestly enforced
Secure property rights
Fairly free trade
Low corruption in business and government
Vaguely competent government fairly elected
Educated population
Lack of ethnic tension (so far)
Freedom of speech
Freedom of movement
我们各国差异很大，但有以下共同点：
法律规则得到了诚实执行
财产权得到保障
相对自由的贸易环境
商业与政府腐败程度低
大致称职且通过选举产生的政府
受过教育的民众
缺乏明显的族群冲突（目前为止）
言论自由
行动自由


Ro-Esp
A headstart in Fractional Reserve Banking
Ever since the early 1600's we've created massive amounts of money in the form of credit, and used it to build ships and hire crews to go and colonise the world
The average Dutch person is in debt some 100.000 euro. Any ethiopian or haitian allowed such a debt would buy a house and get an education
西方在“部分准备金制度银行”方面起步早。
早在17世纪初，我们就开始通过信用创造大量货币，并用这些钱建造船只、雇佣船员、去殖民世界。
如今平均每位荷兰人负债约十万欧元。如果让一位埃塞俄比亚人或海地人也拥有这么多的债务额度，他们可以立刻买房和接受教育。


Garett James
Define “western country” first. Mexico south isn’t rich. In North and South America, there’s the US and Canada and maybe a couple Caribbean countries, and about 20 countries ranging from middle income to very poor. In Europe, there are 17 countries earning below $30,000 USD per cap, some lower than $10,000. Meanwhile, there are multiple non-western countries that earn above $30,000 like Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, UAE, etc.
首先要界定什么是“西方国家”。比如墨西哥以南就不算富裕。南北美洲主要是美国、加拿大，也许还有几个加勒比国家，其余约20个国家处于中低收入或贫困水平。而欧洲也有17个国家人均收入低于3万美元，甚至有些低于1万美元。与此同时，很多非西方国家人均收入却超过了3万美元，比如台湾（地区）、日本、新加坡、阿联酋等。

These countries are wealthy because they have something or produce something that others are willing to pay a high amount for. If your country has low end manufacturing, and only produces thing that any other country can produce, and cannot scale it to be dominant, your country will be poor. Vietnam for instance makes basic widgets, and has a very hard time organising itself to scale up or produce more complicated things that are higher value. This is because it’s hard to retain the educated people as they migrate out to other places where they can get a higher wage immediately.
这些国家之所以富裕，是因为它们拥有某些资源或产品，能卖出高价。如果一个国家只搞低端制造，生产的东西其他国家都能做，而且无法扩大规模，那它就会一直贫穷。例如越南主要生产低端零件，而且很难组织起大规模或高附加值的生产，这是因为高学历人才会流向其他能立刻给他们更高薪水的国家。

What is advantageous for the “west” and Japan and any country that has wealth, is that they adopted the corporate social model earlier and organised their societies in that manner. When a government has too much control over the economy, the economy / wealth of the people suffers. Many countries in the west have also failed to adopt a free market model, such as Venezuela where the government continues to try to control the economy so much is has led to mass starvation.
“西方”、日本以及所有富裕国家的优势在于，他们较早建立了“公司型社会模式”，并围绕这一模式组织了整个社会。而当政府对经济控制过多时，民众的财富与经济就会受损。许多西方国家也曾失败于自由市场改革，比如委内瑞拉，它的政府过度干预经济，最终导致了大规模饥荒。


Ludwig Nijholt
Trade. For a long time in what is now ‘the West’ trade was looked down upon, much as in the East. Nevertheless, trade flourished, just as it did in the East.
贸易。在很长一段时间里，如今所谓的“西方”其实也曾像东方一样，看不起贸易。但尽管如此，贸易还是蓬勃发展了，就像东方一样。

Where the West differed with the East (and Islamic territories) was inventions. Banking was basically known in antiquity, but its methods were refined in the Renaissance, which saw the flowering of Italian (merchant) republics. (Even today North Italy is the most developed part of the country.)
西方与东方（以及伊斯兰地区）的不同在于“发明”。古代其实也有银行业的雏形，但到了文艺复兴时期，银行制度得到了完善，意大利的商人共和国也随之繁荣（即使到了今天，意大利北部依旧是最发达地区）。

So Italian merchants traded around the Mediterranean, founding colonies and trade posts (Venice was even responsible for the fall of Byzantium).
于是，意大利商人在地中海沿岸进行贸易，建立殖民地和贸易据点（甚至威尼斯人还促成了拜占庭的覆灭）。

Then came the great age of discovery, which shifted the economic centre of Europe from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Ships didn’t just plow the seas, they started to traverse the world’s oceans. European ships.
随后，“地理大发现时代”到来，欧洲的经济中心从地中海转移到了大西洋。此时的船只不再只是沿海航行，而是开始穿越全球洋面——是欧洲的船只。

It was basically after 1492 that a global economy was being created - led by Europeans. This was finalized in the age of colonialism and reached its first time zenith with the age of imperialism, when Western powers divided the globe geographically.
基本上从1492年开始，一个由欧洲人主导的全球经济体开始形成。殖民主义时代将这一趋势固定下来，并在帝国主义时代达到巅峰——那时西方列强开始地理上瓜分全球。

They could do so, because of the industrial revolution, which gave the colonial powers strong navies. Nowadays there is great focus on the exploitation that accompanied colonialism.
But it all started with trade. World trade.
他们之所以能这样做，是因为工业革命使得殖民国家拥有了强大的海军。如今人们更多关注殖民主义所带来的“剥削”问题。
但这一切，最初都是从贸易开始的——世界贸易。


Reg Chant
Western countries are rich because they have to one extent or another level playing fields for all, decent arms length legal systems and property rights. Most of the rest of the world is run by communists, theocratic leaders, dictators and juntas. Those are not conducive to wealth creation.
西方国家之所以富裕，是因为它们在一定程度上建立了相对公平的竞争环境、合理独立的法律体系和完善的产权制度。而世界其他大部分地区则由共产主义政权、神权统治者、独裁者和军政府所掌控。这些环境都不利于财富的创造。


Doug Hensley
Well, the example of North Korea and South Korea tells us that wealth isn’t necessarily a matter of better genetics. That leaves culture.
Western countries generally allow for free enterprise and the government involves the people in the decisions.
朝鲜和韩国的对比告诉我们，国家是否富裕并不是基因优劣的问题，那就只能是文化的问题了。
西方国家通常允许自由企业发展，政府在决策中也会让民众参与。


Anton Taiki
Colonization of foreign lands was the key to enable wealth generation for some western nations.
对一些西方国家而言，殖民海外土地是其创造财富的关键。

The peak period of colonization by European maritime powers spanned roughly from the late 15th century to the early 20th century. “Have navy will colonise”.
欧洲海上强国的殖民顶峰时期大致从15世纪末持续到20世纪初，“有海军，就能殖民”。

The primary goal (of colonisation) was to gain access to wealth: spices, silver, gold, slaves, land, and trade routes. Spices and luxury goods from India, the Spice Islands, China were extremely valuable in Europe.
殖民的主要目标是获取财富：香料、白银、黄金、奴隶、土地和贸易路线。来自印度、香料群岛、中国的香料和奢侈品在欧洲极具价值。

Additionally colonies provided raw materials (like cotton, sugar, coffee, tea, tobacco) as well as cheap labour, often through slavery. Colonization created captive markets for European manufactured goods.
此外，殖民地还提供原材料（如棉花、糖、咖啡、茶叶、烟草）以及廉价劳动力，往往以奴隶形式存在。殖民还为欧洲制造品创造了“被绑架的市场”。

Western nations were maritime powers (especially Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and later the U.S.) that colonized large parts of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
西方国家多为海权强国（尤其是英国、法国、西班牙、葡萄牙、荷兰，以及后来的美国），他们在亚洲、非洲和美洲大片地区进行了殖民统治。

They extracted vast wealth from the colonies - natural resources, labour often slaves, and land from these colonies. This provided capital accumulation in Europe, fueling industrialization and financial systems.
他们从殖民地掠夺了巨额财富——自然资源、劳动力（经常是奴隶）以及土地。这些资本积累反过来推动了欧洲的工业化与金融体系建设。

Western Europe, especially Britain, was the first to industrialize beginning in the 18th century. Industrialization brought massive productivity increases, technological advancement, and economic growth.
西欧国家，尤其是英国，率先在18世纪实现了工业化。工业化带来了生产力飞跃、技术进步和经济增长。

To ensure continuity of the wealth gained, strong institutions and rule of law were mandatory. Many Western countries developed stable political institutions, secure property rights, and functioning legal systems. Institutions such as independent courts, representative government, and protection of private enterprise promoted long-term growth. These encouraged investment, innovation, and economic development.
为了让财富持续增长，强大的制度体系和法治成为必要条件。许多西方国家建立了稳定的政治机构、保障产权的法律体系。独立法院、代议制政府以及对私营经济的保护，这些制度支持了长期的经济增长，也促进了投资、创新与发展。

Western wealth is rooted in early advantages, exploitation of global resources, material and forced foreign labour, and the development of systems and institutions that sustained economic growth. While other parts of the world were disrupted by colonization, slavery, or internal instability, the West got a head start that still shapes the global economy today.
西方的财富根植于早期优势，对全球资源的掠夺，对外国劳动力（包括强制劳役）的剥削，以及维系经济增长的制度建设。而在世界其他地区，殖民、奴隶制度或内乱破坏了发展节奏，西方则率先迈出一步，这种领先地位至今仍塑造着全球经济格局。