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Colony and Empire: The Capitalist Transformation of the American West
Popular writers and historians alike have perpetuated the powerful myth of the rugged individualist single-handedly transforming the American West. In reality, William Robbins counters, it was the Guggenheims and Goulds, the Harrimans and Hearsts, and the Morgans and Mellons who masterminded what the West was to become. Remove the romance, he shows, and a darker West emerges--a colonial-like region where industrial statesmen, aided by eastern U.S. and European capital, manipulated investments in pursuit of private gain while controlling wage-earning cowboys and miners.
Robbins argues that understanding the impact of capitalism on the West--from the fur trade era to the present--is essential to understanding power, influence, and change in the region.
Showing how global capitalism had a more profound impact on the modern West than individual initiative, he explores violence and racism along the Texas/Mexican border; colonial-style company towns in Montana and the Northwest; contrasting traditions astride the U.S./Canadian boundary; pace-setting agribusiness and exploitation of labor in California; the growing power of metropolitan centers and dependence of rural areas; and the emergence of a sizable federal influence.
To grasp the essence of the West's dramatic transformation, Robbins contends, you must look to the mainstays of material relations in the region--the perpetually changing character of political and economic culture; the inherent instability of resources; and the larger constellations of capitalist decision making. Consequently, he shows shy Western success and failure, prosperity and misfortune, and expansion and decline were all inseparably linked to the evolution of capitalism at the local, regional, national and global levels.
In the tradition of Patricia Nelson Limerick's Legacy of Conquest, Robbins's study challenges some of our most revered images of the West and invigorates the ongoing debates over its history and meaning for our nation.
Robbins argues that understanding the impact of capitalism on the West--from the fur trade era to the present--is essential to understanding power, influence, and change in the region.
Showing how global capitalism had a more profound impact on the modern West than individual initiative, he explores violence and racism along the Texas/Mexican border; colonial-style company towns in Montana and the Northwest; contrasting traditions astride the U.S./Canadian boundary; pace-setting agribusiness and exploitation of labor in California; the growing power of metropolitan centers and dependence of rural areas; and the emergence of a sizable federal influence.
To grasp the essence of the West's dramatic transformation, Robbins contends, you must look to the mainstays of material relations in the region--the perpetually changing character of political and economic culture; the inherent instability of resources; and the larger constellations of capitalist decision making. Consequently, he shows shy Western success and failure, prosperity and misfortune, and expansion and decline were all inseparably linked to the evolution of capitalism at the local, regional, national and global levels.
In the tradition of Patricia Nelson Limerick's Legacy of Conquest, Robbins's study challenges some of our most revered images of the West and invigorates the ongoing debates over its history and meaning for our nation.
274 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 27, 2025
In Colony and Empire: The Capitalist Transformation of the American West, William Robbins sets out to dispel certain myths about the development of the US West of the Mississippi River. He argues that the West is often thought of as a place of limitless opportunities, where tough, enterprising individuals can find freedom. The truth is more complicated.
Arguing against the famous Turner Thesis which states that the American frontier was the decisive factor in the formation of American culture and political institutions, Robbins situates Western development in the context of the capitalist global economy. Far from the pastoral family farm or romanticized ruggedness of cowboys, the West was shaped by the prerogative of Atlantic and European capital. The changes throughout Western history correspond to the dynamic nature of capitalism, with it's constant need to expand and innovate.
Beginning in the late 19th century, a growing portion of people in the West were wage workers. And the West was surprisingly urban, with cities forming at key transportation nodes. Robbins explains all of this in great detail, especially the way in which railroads unleashed the ravenous appetite of Eastern capital for the vast mineral and timber wealth of the West.
A recurring theme throughout the book is the high degree to which the profit seeking of outsiders dictated the course of life for people in the West. Whether that be the genocide of Native Americans, massive layoffs in response to global market volatility, corrupt land acquisition schemes, etc. life in the West was downstream of decisions in the East.
There's a lot of wonderful detail in this book, but also a lot of repetition. I agree with much of Robbins' argument, but I don't think he clearly expresses any theoretical insights. The chapter comparing the economic development of the West and the former Confederacy is the closest he comes to really explaining how the relations of production, political institutions, and technological change all fit together.
Arguing against the famous Turner Thesis which states that the American frontier was the decisive factor in the formation of American culture and political institutions, Robbins situates Western development in the context of the capitalist global economy. Far from the pastoral family farm or romanticized ruggedness of cowboys, the West was shaped by the prerogative of Atlantic and European capital. The changes throughout Western history correspond to the dynamic nature of capitalism, with it's constant need to expand and innovate.
Beginning in the late 19th century, a growing portion of people in the West were wage workers. And the West was surprisingly urban, with cities forming at key transportation nodes. Robbins explains all of this in great detail, especially the way in which railroads unleashed the ravenous appetite of Eastern capital for the vast mineral and timber wealth of the West.
A recurring theme throughout the book is the high degree to which the profit seeking of outsiders dictated the course of life for people in the West. Whether that be the genocide of Native Americans, massive layoffs in response to global market volatility, corrupt land acquisition schemes, etc. life in the West was downstream of decisions in the East.
There's a lot of wonderful detail in this book, but also a lot of repetition. I agree with much of Robbins' argument, but I don't think he clearly expresses any theoretical insights. The chapter comparing the economic development of the West and the former Confederacy is the closest he comes to really explaining how the relations of production, political institutions, and technological change all fit together.
September 21, 2012
So you think the West is populated by rugged independent individualists? check this out. you might find a new way to look at that picture.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews