Introduction 1
1 Credit Crises in the Rise of the Modern Fiscal State 24
2 England’s Path，1642-1752 51
3 The Rapid Centralization of Public Finance in Japan，1868-1880 78
4 The Emergence of the Modern Fiscal State in Japan，1880-1895 105
5 Economic Disruption and the Failure of Paper Money in China，1851-1864 131
6 The Persistence of Fiscal Decentralization in China，1864-1911 153
Conclusion 180
Notes 189
Bibliography 259
Index 301