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A review by mitchf
Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert
4.0
A good history of a necessary topic, just not great. First and most importantly, it makes clear what the role of slavery was in the foundation of industrial capitalism. Essentially, it allowed the early industrialists in England and elsewhere to secure their cotton when no other area could. The mix of largely empty lands, plentiful labor and willing capital enabled settlers and plantation owners to move into the largely empty South and begin the large-scale production of cotton. Second, it explains the links between the need for labor, capital and the growing power of government to allow capital growth. The story of how contract and property law infiltrates every part of the colonial world is an amazing one. It may be the most important single aspect of European culture by its subtle and pervasive influence. Third, the concept of "war capitalism" for the earliest stage of economic colonialism is a useful idea. It does give an idea of the types of social institutions necessary for the creation of colonial empires.
But it does have some significant problems. There are times the analysis repeats itself in largely the same wording. The story of the growth of capitalism seems largely told at this point and white this particular aspect adds some detail, it doesn't reinterpret that story. There seem to be some significant aspects of this story that need further elaboration. The story of cotton after 1920 is disposed of in the last chapter but the explanation of how large retail business set the agenda for the capitalist machine needs to set out in fuller detail. Also, at a certain point, industrial innovation and capital would definitely grow into other fields, but we don't get much indication of when this point occurred. When exactly does growth in railroads, iron, steel or chemical industries become more important than cotton? I would guess somewhere around 1860 with the start of the Civil War, but I'm not sure given this book. There's also the problem of war capitalism. It seems to emerge whole without antecedent, but that can't be right. Still, on the whole, it's a good book on a necessary topic.
But it does have some significant problems. There are times the analysis repeats itself in largely the same wording. The story of the growth of capitalism seems largely told at this point and white this particular aspect adds some detail, it doesn't reinterpret that story. There seem to be some significant aspects of this story that need further elaboration. The story of cotton after 1920 is disposed of in the last chapter but the explanation of how large retail business set the agenda for the capitalist machine needs to set out in fuller detail. Also, at a certain point, industrial innovation and capital would definitely grow into other fields, but we don't get much indication of when this point occurred. When exactly does growth in railroads, iron, steel or chemical industries become more important than cotton? I would guess somewhere around 1860 with the start of the Civil War, but I'm not sure given this book. There's also the problem of war capitalism. It seems to emerge whole without antecedent, but that can't be right. Still, on the whole, it's a good book on a necessary topic.