Silver Trade and War: Spain and America in the Making of Early Modern Europe by Stanley J. Stein | Historical Book on Colonial Economics & European Development - Perfect for History Students and Researchers

I just finished this excellent work. I have tried to find books on the history of Spain and Colonial America for many years and this one is the best so far. The Steins effectively explain how silver from the New World Spanish colonies established Spanish hegemony in the 16th and early 17th centuries. They also explain in clear prose how Spain failed to develop its internal economy which caused the silver to flow to its adversaries, the Dutch and then English and France to a degree, who developed their manufacturing in response to the great inflow of silver and wound up becoming dominant empires while Spain went into decline. If you want to understand the political economy of the 16th to 18th centuries you should read this book.