Modern World System, Volume 2: Mercantilism and the Consolidation of the European World Economy

Author: (USA) Immanuel Wallerstein
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: This book discusses the origins and development of the capitalist world economy, i.e., the modern world system. The modern world system originated in parts of Europe and gradually expanded, eventually incorporating other regions of the world until it covered the globe. The author argues that by the mid-21st century, the capitalist world system will be replaced by a successor system (one or more). We cannot predict what this system will be like, but we can influence its outcome through our current political and moral actions. This book is highly regarded in Western academia and is a must-read reference for Western university students. It is not a general history of modern world history but a comprehensive macro-analysis that holistically explains the historical process of the world over the past five and a half centuries.