The Modern World-System III

Rating:
Summary: What they should have taught us in high school.
Review: Immanuel Wallerstein has given us an important book. This book explains how and why Great Britain emerged from the 18th century with economic hegemony. The best thing which the book does is to place free-market capitalism as a historical process, rather than as an extra-historical inevitability, which is usually taught in most public schools, and assumed in most public debates and private understandings of economics in the U.S.

Do not be scared away by the book's academic-sounding title. The book is accessible. Wallerstein writes in a lucid manner, but is treating a complex topic, and he seems to be writing mostly for academics. Basically, reading this book should be a challange for the average reader (like me), but a rewarding and seriously educating challange in the end. The reading is slow, but worthwhile.

I would lastly add that education of this sort, especially after one is through with school, is the duty of every citizen of a democracy. Knowledge is the foundation for power.

Rating:
Summary: What they should have taught us in high school.
Review: Immanuel Wallerstein has given us an important book. This book explains how and why Great Britain emerged from the 18th century with economic hegemony. The best thing which the book does is to place free-market capitalism as a historical process, rather than as an extra-historical inevitability, which is usually taught in most public schools, and assumed in most public debates and private understandings of economics in the U.S.

Do not be scared away by the book's academic-sounding title. The book is accessible. Wallerstein writes in a lucid manner, but is treating a complex topic, and he seems to be writing mostly for academics. Basically, reading this book should be a challange for the average reader (like me), but a rewarding and seriously educating challange in the end. The reading is slow, but worthwhile.

I would lastly add that education of this sort, especially after one is through with school, is the duty of every citizen of a democracy. Knowledge is the foundation for power.