The origin of capitalism : a longer view
Ellen Meiksins Wood (Author)
"How did the dynamic economic system we know as capitalism develop among the peasants and lords of feudal Europe? In The Origin of Capitalism, a now-classic work of history, Ellen Meiksins Wood offers readers a clear and accessible introduction to the theories and debates concerning the birth of capitalism, imperialism, and the modern nation state. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the relationship between humans and nature."--Page 4 of cover
Print Book, English, 2017
Substantially revised and expanded edition. New, revised and expanded edition View all formats and editions
Verso, London, 2017
History
vii, 213 pages ; 20 cm.
9781786630681, 9781859843925, 1786630680, 1859843921
1076722878
Introduction
Part I. Histories of the transition. The commercialization model and its legacy ; Marxist debates ; Marxist alternatives
Part II. The origin of capitalism. Commerce or capitalism? ; The agrarian origin of capitalism
Part III. Agrarian capitalism and beyond. Agrarian capitalism and beyond ; The origin of capitalist imperialism ; Capitalism and the nation state ; Modernity and postmodernity
Conclusion
Previous edition: New York : Monthly Review Press, ©1999