Alex’s Reviews > Empire of Cotton: A New History of Global Capitalism > Status Update
Alex
is starting
The introduction lays out the central premise of the book; the history of cotton and cotton textiles as global commodities follows, and in some cases serves as an important driver for, the global development of capitalism - both in its mercantile and later industrial form. By tracing this history, we can learn (or at least better understand) how capitalism intersects with colonialism, the growth of state power, etc.
— Jan 12, 2021 04:24AM
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Alex
is on page 198 of 640
This chapter discusses the various efforts of industrialists to drive wage laborers to their firms, relying heavily on the state to mobilize the poor, the indebted, children, and others onto the factory floor on pain of punishment. These corporal and legal efforts were aided by the rapid decay of traditional sources of income, as artisinal pursuits became increasingly uncompetitive in the face of the new capitalism.
— Feb 02, 2021 05:02AM
Alex
is on page 174 of 640
Chapter 6 looks to explain the uneven geographic spread of early industrialization from Britain. Beckert argues that strong state capacity to enforce protectionist economic measures were key, as well as colonial and imperial expansion which provided ample markets for exploitation. Capitalists came to rely increasingly on the state to ensure growth and vice versa.
— Feb 01, 2021 09:11PM
Alex
is on page 136 of 640
Chapter 5 covers the rise of the Southern American plantation economy to global preeminence, supplying the vast majority of raw cotton to British manufacturers in the first half of the 19th century. This rise was only possible due to the combination of massive pools of slave labour with the expulsion of indigenous people from the fertile land of the region, and the formation of a politically dominant planter class.
— Jan 21, 2021 02:18AM
Alex
is on page 97 of 640
Chapter 4 further details the connection between industrial textile production and slavery - as overwhelming demand for cotton fiber exhausted traditional sources, monoculture slave plantations in the Caribbean and Brazil fuelled the factories of Northwestern England. The very same textiles produced could then be sold to fund further enslavement, creating a powerful and self-reinforcing economic circuit.
— Jan 20, 2021 04:18AM
Alex
is on page 82 of 640
This chapter begins by focusing on the technological and social innovations underpinning the Industrial Revolution's immense growth in labour productivity, permitting British manufacturers to "outcompete" the traditional centers of cloth production. Beckert goes on contextualize this innovation as only possible when combined with imperial subjugation and conquest to provide cheap and reliable raw materials.
— Jan 20, 2021 01:47AM
Alex
is on page 55 of 640
Chapter 2 tracks the birth of "war capitalism" - as colonial empires in the Americas expanded, so too did European demand for cotton cloth, both for domestic consumption and as the primary form of payment for African slaves. Trade companies increasingly sought to control the still dominant (and locally decentralized) Indian cotton industry, while states imposed measures to encourage domestic manufacture and export.
— Jan 14, 2021 03:14AM
Alex
is on page 29 of 640
Chapter 1 discusses the history of cotton and cloth manufacturing from its origins in ancient times until roughly the 1500's. Key points made include the initially household oriented nature of production, the creation of localized networks of manufacture alongside longer distance trade (the importance of merchants and their capital) and the vast wealth which India acquired through its world renowned cotton products.
— Jan 13, 2021 04:11AM
