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Review
"This is a work in the grand historical tradition. It is bold in its thrust. From the first chapter, in which Wallerstein debunks a variety of pet explanations for the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the late eighteenth century, to the closing chapter, in which he depicts the emergence of the United States as part of the core of the capatalist world economy, many readers will find this a contentious and unsettling work. But it is contentious and unsettling in ways healthful for the normal practices of economic historians."
--THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
"Volume 3 is the latest and my favorite thus far of The Modern World-System, in which Immanuel Wallerstein plans to cover world-system developments between the 16th century and tomorrow.... Wallerstein has now found a clear voice, doing what he does best, namely, to untangle the debate lines of other scholars, to make their (often ideological) premises explicit, and to test their logic--both internally for consistency and externally by reference to the facts."
--AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
"This third installment to Wallerstein's emergent world-systems theory is a welcome event....The project constitutes a formidable enterprise in empirical-theoretical analysis relative to the fashioning of a global order.... Recommended for graduate students and scholars. A must read for anyone interested in the whole globalization debate now gathering steam among social scientists and humanities scholars, including theologians."
--RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW
"It has now been fifteen years since Immanuel Wallerstein published The Modern World-System I). No other book has had more of an impact on the social sciences in that time.... All of the strengths of his earlier work--the detailed and perceptive discussions of major historical debates, the long footnotes elaborating interesting tangential issues and providing wonderful quotations, and the immense bibliography--are here in spades. These features make the book a pleasure to read."
--STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE INT'L DEVELOPMENT
From the Reviews of Previous Volumes:
"...one of the important books of the year....all are sure to agree that Wallerstein has written a most impressive book."
--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"This is an exciting and highly intelligent book...Wallerstein has produced a splendid stimulant to our historical imagination, and deserves a wide readership."
--HISTORY
"This, the third volume of Wallerstein's grand history of modern capitalism, maintains the by now well-known characteristics of the other two: it is extremely well written, brilliantly argued, splendidly backed by sources and quotations--all in the defence of positions which are largely untenable...This is a major contribution to world historical literature, painted on a broad canvas with much fine detail..."
--Sidney Pollard of Bielefeld University in THE ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Second Series, Volume XLIII, No. 1 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
--THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
"Volume 3 is the latest and my favorite thus far of The Modern World-System, in which Immanuel Wallerstein plans to cover world-system developments between the 16th century and tomorrow.... Wallerstein has now found a clear voice, doing what he does best, namely, to untangle the debate lines of other scholars, to make their (often ideological) premises explicit, and to test their logic--both internally for consistency and externally by reference to the facts."
--AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
"This third installment to Wallerstein's emergent world-systems theory is a welcome event....The project constitutes a formidable enterprise in empirical-theoretical analysis relative to the fashioning of a global order.... Recommended for graduate students and scholars. A must read for anyone interested in the whole globalization debate now gathering steam among social scientists and humanities scholars, including theologians."
--RELIGIOUS STUDIES REVIEW
"It has now been fifteen years since Immanuel Wallerstein published The Modern World-System I). No other book has had more of an impact on the social sciences in that time.... All of the strengths of his earlier work--the detailed and perceptive discussions of major historical debates, the long footnotes elaborating interesting tangential issues and providing wonderful quotations, and the immense bibliography--are here in spades. These features make the book a pleasure to read."
--STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE INT'L DEVELOPMENT
From the Reviews of Previous Volumes:
"...one of the important books of the year....all are sure to agree that Wallerstein has written a most impressive book."
--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"This is an exciting and highly intelligent book...Wallerstein has produced a splendid stimulant to our historical imagination, and deserves a wide readership."
--HISTORY
"This, the third volume of Wallerstein's grand history of modern capitalism, maintains the by now well-known characteristics of the other two: it is extremely well written, brilliantly argued, splendidly backed by sources and quotations--all in the defence of positions which are largely untenable...This is a major contribution to world historical literature, painted on a broad canvas with much fine detail..."
--Sidney Pollard of Bielefeld University in THE ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Second Series, Volume XLIII, No. 1 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Immanuel Wallerstein's highly influential, multi-volume opus, "The Modern World-System", is one of this century's greatest works of social science. An innovative, panoramic reinterpretation of global history, it traces the emergence and development of the modern world from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
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2 reviews
14 of 20 people found the following review helpful
What they should have taught us in high school.
24 Sep 2000
Format:Paperback
Immanuel Wallerstein has given us an important book. This book explains how and why Great Britain emerged from the 18th century with economic hegemony. The best thing which the book does is to place free-market capitalism as a historical process, rather than as an extra-historical inevitability, which is usually taught in most public schools, and assumed in most public debates and private understandings of economics in the U.S.
Do not be scared away by the book's academic-sounding title. The book is accessible. Wallerstein writes in a lucid manner, but is treating a complex topic, and he seems to be writing mostly for academics. Basically, reading this book should be a challange for the average reader (like me), but a rewarding and seriously educating challange in the end. The reading is slow, but worthwhile.
I would lastly add that education of this sort, especially after one is through with school, is the duty of every citizen of a democracy. Knowledge is the foundation for power.
2 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Power
19 July 2005
Format:Paperback
The central idea illustrated in this book is that 'Cumulative self-sustaining changes in the form of the endless search for accumulation has been the leitmotiv of the capitalist world-economy ever since its genesis in the 16th century.'
This theorem leads to the following conclusion: ' NONE (I underline) of the great revolutions of the late 18th century - the SO-CALLED (I underline) industrial revolution, the French Revolution, the settler independences of the Americas - represented fundamental challenges to the world capitalist system.'
Why? Because the transition from feudalism to capitalism had long since occurred.
I will only discuss the author's view on the Industrial Revolution.
Another marxist, Eric Hobshawm starts his book 'Industry and Empire' with the following sentence: 'The Industrial Revolution marks the most fundamental transformation of human life in the history of the world.'
How is it possible that two marxist scholars have such a different appreciation of the same phenomenon?
I believe because there is an all important 'hidden' element, which is unconsciously taken into account by Hobshawm and not by Wallerstein: power.
'The endless search for accumulation' is not an end, but a means to acquire power (R. Kuttner: 'Wealth is power.')
Power means a bigger chance to survive in the struggle for life. Those, then and now, who profit from the Industrial Revolution have a better chance to survive (states, corporations, classes, individuals).
Power is not only a question of social and economic systems, but also a matter of political and military strenght in order to implement certain policies.
Why did Britain rule the waves? Politically, the Parliament controlled the king and the capitalist landowners could implement their economic policies. Militarilly, the Navy's strenght assured victory in wars, permitted access to foreign markets, incorporation of vast new zones into the system, blocking entry of raw material into enemy states ... Economically, all important technical innovations.
The Industrial Revolution was a crucial element in the acquisition of world power by the British.
Wallerstein admits these cardinal factors: 'It was these politico-military victories that critically increased the economic gaps - in industry, in trade and in finance.' And, 'the wars allowed the spectacular change in Britain's exports.'
But, because they did not change the system (capitalism), those factors were not very important. Also in the struggle for survival?
Another aspect of both analyses is the Schumpeterian factor. For Wallerstein, the actors are ideas, classes, Estates. Individuals are mere vehicles for those ideas.
In Hobshawm's book, individuals are important, e. g. the aim of the British rulers was to implement first of all policies of economic expansion. This was not the aim of the Ottoman empire.
This book contains a wealth of information and is thought-provoking, but one-sided.
Ultimately, only democracy can determine the future of our world-system.
This theorem leads to the following conclusion: ' NONE (I underline) of the great revolutions of the late 18th century - the SO-CALLED (I underline) industrial revolution, the French Revolution, the settler independences of the Americas - represented fundamental challenges to the world capitalist system.'
Why? Because the transition from feudalism to capitalism had long since occurred.
I will only discuss the author's view on the Industrial Revolution.
Another marxist, Eric Hobshawm starts his book 'Industry and Empire' with the following sentence: 'The Industrial Revolution marks the most fundamental transformation of human life in the history of the world.'
How is it possible that two marxist scholars have such a different appreciation of the same phenomenon?
I believe because there is an all important 'hidden' element, which is unconsciously taken into account by Hobshawm and not by Wallerstein: power.
'The endless search for accumulation' is not an end, but a means to acquire power (R. Kuttner: 'Wealth is power.')
Power means a bigger chance to survive in the struggle for life. Those, then and now, who profit from the Industrial Revolution have a better chance to survive (states, corporations, classes, individuals).
Power is not only a question of social and economic systems, but also a matter of political and military strenght in order to implement certain policies.
Why did Britain rule the waves? Politically, the Parliament controlled the king and the capitalist landowners could implement their economic policies. Militarilly, the Navy's strenght assured victory in wars, permitted access to foreign markets, incorporation of vast new zones into the system, blocking entry of raw material into enemy states ... Economically, all important technical innovations.
The Industrial Revolution was a crucial element in the acquisition of world power by the British.
Wallerstein admits these cardinal factors: 'It was these politico-military victories that critically increased the economic gaps - in industry, in trade and in finance.' And, 'the wars allowed the spectacular change in Britain's exports.'
But, because they did not change the system (capitalism), those factors were not very important. Also in the struggle for survival?
Another aspect of both analyses is the Schumpeterian factor. For Wallerstein, the actors are ideas, classes, Estates. Individuals are mere vehicles for those ideas.
In Hobshawm's book, individuals are important, e. g. the aim of the British rulers was to implement first of all policies of economic expansion. This was not the aim of the Ottoman empire.
This book contains a wealth of information and is thought-provoking, but one-sided.
Ultimately, only democracy can determine the future of our world-system.
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