Capitalism and Material Life 1400-1800

by Fernand Braudel, Miriam Kochan (Translator)

"Capitalism and Material Life is an exciting work with a lofty theme, and only an unusually learned and intellectually ambitious man could have written it. ... [In] the end all criticisms of the achievement of Fernand Braudel are disarmed by the sheer stature of the man, the brilliance of the writing, the range of the erudition, the largeness of vision, the passionate interest in human life." -- Keith Thomas, The New York Review of Books

Genres: History, Economics, Nonfiction, World History, Finance, Philosophy

Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Fernand Paul Achille Braudel was a French historian and a leader of the Annales School. His scholarship focused on three main projects: The Mediterranean (1923–49, then 1949–66), Civilization and Capitalism (1955–79), and the unfinished Identity of France (1970–85). His reputation stems in part from his writings, but even more from his success in making the Annales School the most important engine of historical research in France and much of the world after 1950. As the dominant leader of the Annales School of historiography in the 1950s and 1960s, he exerted enormous influence on historical writing in France and other countries.

Braudel has been considered one of the greatest of the modern historians who have emphasized the role of large-scale socioeconomic factors in the making and writing of history. He can also be considered as one of the precursors of world-systems theory.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Braudel's master work deserves its reputation. The history of peoples' every day lives matters so much more than memorizing dates of battles and names of presidents, prime ministers and kings. While the work was seen as revolutionary when first published and first translated, it is more evolutionary. Braudel also avoids ideological traps and deadends. While obviously indebted to Marx, he is not doctrinaire about it and celebrates as much as castigates capitalism. The historic factors that led up to the capitalistic socio-economic structure were untenable; Braudel shows that the transformation from a feudal to a capitalistic society took place gradually over a 400 year period.

My main criticism is how Euro-centric the book is reflected in some misconceptions about America, but that can be forgiven because Europeans thoroughly dominated the world in the hundred years that followed. Economic history has not been the same since, and now I understand why.

[Ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the scope and breadth of this history. Braudel is unstoppable when it comes to widening our perception of peoples past, impervious to considerations of consistency of scale, but open to the poetics of narrative seduction. Almost as good as Bloch.

[cunningrocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who don't know, this is an early version of volume 1 of C&C. The introductory materials are significantly different, and it lacks the figures in C&C, but it's largely the same except for differences in translation.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did people’s everyday life look like between 1400 & 1800? How did they live, eat, interact, etc.? What was life like in towns and villages, how did they grow their crops and do trade? In this meticulously researched book, Braudel paints a plausible picture of the conditions of life for all kinds of people, all over the world.

[Leonardo]

Tal vez esta constante necesidad de expandir su esfera de control sea la enfermedad del capital europeo, o quizá sea también el motor que condujo a Europa a la posición de dominio mundial en la era moderna. “Tal vez, entonces, el mérito de Occidente, confinado como estaba en su estrecho ´Cabo de Asia´,” supone Fernand Braudel, “ fue haber necesitado al mundo, haber necesitado aventurarse hacia fuera de su propia puerta delantera”. El capital ha tendido desde sus inicios a ser un poder mundial, o, realmente, el poder mundial.

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