Empires of the Atlantic World

J.H. Elliott's 2006 comparison of the British and Spanish empires in the Americas — arguing that the contrasting approaches to colonization (Spanish direct administration vs. English settler colonialism) created the divergent outcomes that explain North-South American differences.

Provides the comparative framework for understanding why North and South America developed so differently — Elliott's analysis of Spanish and British imperial policies, attitudes toward indigenous peoples, economic systems, and religious frameworks demonstrates that the continent's contrasts are the product of different colonial approaches, not different geographies.