The Modern World-System I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in the Sixteenth Century"I can say without hesitation that this is the finest book of analytic history that I have read in the past ten years. That Europe had formed a world-economy around herself historians knew. But only in general. What they had never thought about with the keenness and intelligence of I. Wallerstein's thought is that this entity provides a new framework for the subject of European history, that it is compelling, a new explanation, a new classification, indeed a revolutionary one, of received knowledge and current thought." —Fernand Braudel, author of The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II “It isn't just history or economics or sociology or political science. It is all of these in combination and thus places all of these fields on a new plane of understanding, It is a book that people will have to deal with, argue with, cite, learn by in order to make their own points....In sum, this is a most impressive work. I can hardly wait for the other volumes." —Eric R. Wolf, author of Europe and the People without History "A heroic and impressive achievement...an exhilarating and satisfying book....it explains more convincingly and sympathetically than anything I have read hitherto the actual process of economic and social development on a European-world scale." —Joan Thirsk, American Journal of Sociology "A tour de force that brings together and makes sense of a wealth of diverse historical studies which often seem to contradict each other...an extremely formidable achievement." —Gertrud Lenzer, N.Y. Times Book Review "A remarkable book. The author has a theory and uses it to explain the structure and course of public events in Europe and its trans-oceanic annexes in the sixteenth century. The effect is dazzling and dizzying." —William McNeill, Societas |
Contents
on the study of social change | 2 |
medieval prelude | 14 |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS | 20 |
c 14501640 | 66 |
the absolute monarchy and statism | 132 |
the failure of empire | 164 |
classformation and international | 224 |
periphery versus external arena | 300 |
theoretical reprise | 346 |
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Common terms and phrases
16th century absolute monarchy Agrarian agricultural Annales E.S.C. Antwerp areas argues aristocracy Baltic became bourgeoisie Braudel bullion bureaucracy Cambridge Economic History Cambridge Modern History Cambridge Univ capital capitalist central Chaunu colonial commercial crisis decline Dutch eastern Economic History Review empire encomienda England English European world-economy expansion export fact factor feudal fifteenth force fourteenth France French Genoese gentry Germany grain hence Hispanic America History of Europe ibid important increase Indian industry internal Italy king labor land landowners London Malowist Marc Bloch Mediterranean Méditerranée merchants Middle Ages monarchy Mousnier Netherlands nobility northern Past & Present peasant period Pierre Chaunu Poland political population Porchnev Portugal Portuguese Press Price Revolution production profits relatively rent rise role Russia seigniorial seventeenth century sixteenth century social Spain Spanish spices structure Tawney tion towns trade Tudor wages western Europe world-system XVIe siècle York