Capitalism - A Global History

Capitalism, argues Beckert, was born global. Emerging from merchant communities across Asia, Africa and Europe, capitalism''s radical recasting of economic life rooted itself only gradually. Then it burst onto the world scene, as European states and merchants built a powerful alliance that would propel them across the oceans. This epic drama corresponded at no point to an idealised dream of free markets. All along, state-backed institutions and imperial expansions shaped its dynamics.

Capitalism decentres the European perspective, highlighting agency, resistance, innovation and ruthless coercion around the world through to the present with the rise of Asian economies, particularly China. Sven Beckert doesn''t merely add up capitalism''s debits and credits in this monumental book, but allows us to think afresh about the past to help us re-imagine the future.<>

About the author

Sven Beckert is Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University. His last book, Empire of Cotton, won many prizes, including the Bancroft Prize and the Philip Taft Prize. It was also a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for History, shortlisted for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature and was chosen by the New York Times as one of the ten best books of the year.

Product details

• Authors: Sven Beckert, Beckert Sven
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 30.10.2025
• EAN: 9780241269053
• ISBN: 978-0-241-26905-3
• No. of pages: 1344
• Dimensions: 156 mm x 240 mm x 40 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Business: general, reference works; World, Capitalism, HISTORY / World, General & world history, Economic history, Social and cultural history, General and world history, Political science and theory