The book reveals and compares concepts of economists to explain the course of history, nature, progress and backwardness of countries and peoples. In this book presented views of Douglass North and his co-authors, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, Deepak Lal, Ludwig von Mises and his followers, Deirdre McCloskey. This panorama of economic thought provides a look at the issues raised from various points of view. Author adhered to  principle of impartiality in his presentation. The authors, presented in the book, focus mainly on disclosure of puzzle of modern economic growth, which is not more than 200 years. What made humanity much richer today than two centuries ago? Why this growth started initially in Western Europe and USA? What sets the pace today? What is the reason of differences in countries development level? Is there a way out of underdevelopment? Solving these and many other similar questions, the authors offer a universal concepts, that reveal from their view the entire course of human hitory. As a result, you can see how economists explain history. The book is written for economists and for all researchers in the social sciences. It will be useful to teachers of social sciences and students of these disciplines. Reading it will give much food for thought to anyone who is interested in history and global issues of our time.