The Origin of Capitalism A Longer View - Ellen Meiksins Wood, ebook, ebook.1400, Temp 3
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THE ORIGIN
OF CAPITALISM
A Longer View
•
ELLEN MEIKSINS WOOD
This eiion fist published by Veso
2002
©
Ellen Meiksins Wood
2002
Fist published as
le
Oigill f Capitalism
©
Monthly Reiew Press,
1999
ll
rights reseved
The moral righs of the author have been sseted
Verso
K:
6
Meard Sreet, London WI F OEG
USA:
ISO
Vick Street, New York,
Y
10014-4606
ww
.versoboos.com
Veso is the imprint of New Let Boos
ISBN
1-85984-680-7
ISBN
1-85984-392-1
Pbk)
British Library Catalogung in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book
s
available rom the Briish Libray
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available rom the Libry of Congress
Typeset in 10pt Bembo by SetSystes, Saron Wlden, Essex
Printed nd bound in Great Bitain by Biddies Ltd
Acknowledgements
ll
Introduction
Part I HISTORIES OF THE TRANSITION
The Comercializaion Model and Its Legacy
II
Mist Debates
3
4
50
3
Marist Altenatives
Pat II THE ORIGIN OF CAPITALISM
4 Commerce or Capitaism?
7
3
95
5 The Agrian Origin of Capitalism
Pat III AGRARIAN CAPITALISM AND BEYOND
6
Agraian Capitlism and Beyond
7
The Origin of Capitalist Imperialism
8 Capitalism and the Nation State
125
1
4
7
166
9 Modeity and Posmodeity
182
Conclusion
19
3
199
Notes
Index
209
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the st edition, I thanked Neal Wood fo r his coments and
encouragement, and Chis Phelps, who, when he was Editoial
Director of Monthly Review Press, talked me into producing the
book nd also gave me some extremely useul nd insightul
criiciss and suggesions, not just editoial but substanive. In
this substanialy revised and expanded ediion, I want to add
thanks to George Conel and Robert Brener fo r their safety
checks (though any remaining mistakes are, of course, my own),
and ther helpul suggestions, not to menion yeas of discussion
on the relevnt issues. My thanks also to Marin Paddio at P
fo r his cooperaion, against the odds; nd to Sebasian Budgen at
Veso fo r his costrucive criticisms (as well s his role - together
ith other editos of Histoical Mateialism - in giing me an
opportunity to rehearse in its pages some of the ideas on which
this book is based). I'm also grateul to Jusin Dyer fo r
s
careul
and intelligent copy-eding, and to Tm Clark fo r his eicient
guidance of the book through production.
INTRODUCTION
The 'collapse of Connunism' in the late 1980s and 1990S seemed
to conm what mny people have long believed: that capitalism
is the natural condition of humaity, that it confonns to the laws
of nature nd basic humn inclinaions, and that any deviation
rom those natural laws and inclinaions can only come to gief
There are, of couse, many resons today for questioning the
capitalist tiumphalism that followed in the wake of the collapse.
Wle I was wiing the introducion to the rrst ediion of this
book, the world was sill reeling rom the Asian cisis. Today, the
fmancil pages of the daly press are nevously watcing the signs
of recession in the US and rediscoveing the old capitalist cycles
that they had been assung us were a tng of the past. The
peiod between these two episodes has been punctuated in
vaious pars of the world by a seies of dramaic demonsraios
that proudly descibe themselves s 'anti-capitlist'; and, while
many paticipants seem inclined to dissociate the els of 'globaliÂ
zaion' or 'neoliberalism' rom the essenil and irreducible nature
of capitlism itsel, they are very clear about the conlict beween
the nees of people and the requirements of prort, as mafested
in everything rom the groing gap between ich and poor to
increasng ecological destruction.
In the past, capitalism has always puled out of its recurent
cises, but never without layng a foundaion for new and even
wose ones. Whatever means have been found to lit or corect
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