Historical Capitalism with Capitalist CivilizationIn this short, highly readable book Immanuel Wallerstein provides a condensation of the central ideas of his monumental study of capitalism as an integrated, historical entity: The Modern World-System. In developing an anatomy of capitalism over the past five centuries, Wallerstein traces those elements that have constantly changed and evolved, while giving equal attention to features of historical capitalism that have necessarily remained constant. Particular attention is focused on the emergence and development of a unified world market, and the concomitant international division of labour. Wallerstein argues forcefully, against the current of much contemporary opinion, that capitalism has brought about an actual, not merely relative, immiseration in the countries of the Third World. The economic and social problems of underdeveloped countries will remain unresolved as long as they remain located within a framework of world capitalism. |
Common terms and phrases
accumulation of capital activity adjustments allocation anti-systemic movements arena argued asserted balance sheet basic bifurcation boundaries bourgeoisie cadres capitalist civilization capitalist world capitalist world-economy class struggle collective commodification commodity chains constraints contradiction costs course created crisis cultural division of labour economic egalitarian endless accumulation entrepreneurs ethnic existed expansion fact force frontiers further geocultural agenda geographical given global groups hierarchy historical capitalism human rights ideology income increased individual interstate system involved labour-force legitimization less limited located mechanism meritocracy mobility modern monopolized multiple nationalist nomic operated particular polarization political possible pressures previous historical systems production processes profit progress question racism reality relatively remuneration reward role seemed semi-proletarian sexism social system socialist state-machineries strata stratum structures sure surplus surplus-value technological tended tion twentieth century unequal exchange universalism wage wage-labour workers world socialist movement world-system world's population world's work-forces worldwide