The Origin Of Capitalism, A Longer View

Expanded new edition of Ellen Wood's classic, pithy account of capitalism's origins

In this original and provocative book Ellen Meiksins Wood argues that capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor is it simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the human interaction with nature.

Including discussions of imperialism, anti-Eurocentric history, capitalism and the nation-state, and the differences between capitalism and non-capitalist commerce, globalization, and ecological crisis, this book acts as a short guide to the key debates on the transition from feudalism to the origin of capitalism.