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4. The British Empire, circa 1870: 21% of global output
4. 大英帝國，1870年前后：占全球經(jīng)濟產(chǎn)出總量的21%
For most of human history, economists have very little evidence to estimate historical GDP. But all that changes once we get to the height of the British Empire, where extensive tax and other records make the job a bit easier. The British are also the first empire on the list that dominated the globe economically without strictly controlling an equally large percentage of the global population. Britain’s advantage came from the huge technological boost of the industrial revolution, as well as its aptitude for profiting from its colonial possessions. At the height of the British Empire, about 6% of its total output came from its colonies, more than any other Western power.
對于人類歷史長河上的大部分時間，經(jīng)濟學家都沒有足夠信息，來估算出各國歷年的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值（GDP）。但是到了大英帝國鼎盛時期，情況發(fā)生了變化，當時留下了大量的稅收記錄及其它記錄，都為經(jīng)濟學家提供了參考。此外，在本文列出的這五大經(jīng)濟帝國當中，大英帝國也是第一個在沒有控制同等比例人口的情況下，就在經(jīng)濟上稱霸全球的國家。大英帝國的優(yōu)勢來自于工業(yè)革命對科技產(chǎn)生的巨大推動力，以及它從眾多殖民領地中攫取利益的能力。在大英帝國的鼎盛時期，該國的經(jīng)濟總產(chǎn)出約有6%來自于殖民地，這一比例要高于任何其它西方大國。
