Cotton Empire

Empire of Cotton: A Global History

The 2015 Bancroft Prize-winning work, recommended by Wang Xi, Zhong Weimin, and Li Bochong!
The process of capitalist globalization is described through the history of the cotton industry linking six continents.
He proposed the concept of "war capitalism" and subverted the myth of "free capitalism".
◎ Editor's recommendation☆ Winner of the 2015 Bancroft Prize, the highest award in American history☆ Recommended with prefaces by Professor Wang Xi of the History Department of Peking University and Professor Zhong Weimin of the History Department of Tsinghua University☆ Recommended by many media outlets including The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, and The Economist, and a bestseller on Amazon in the United States. In this magnificent historical work spanning four hundred years and covering seven continents, the author starts with the commodity of cotton, allowing us to see how the history of capitalism is closely linked to the history of nation-states, colonial history, and the history of the slave trade.
Cotton products are so ubiquitous in our lives that we often overlook their importance. Yet, the history of the cotton industry is inextricably linked to the history of modern capitalism. Understanding the history of the cotton industry is key to understanding capitalism and the contemporary world. Author Sven Beckert recounts the history of the cotton industry, explaining how European nations and capitalists reshaped one of the most important industries in world history in a short period of time, ultimately changing the face of the world.
This book is a truly global history, spanning five continents, linking the African slave trade with the Red Sea trade, and the American Civil War with cotton cultivation in India. Merchants, commercial capitalists, brokers, agents, state bureaucrats, industrial capitalists, tenant farmers, yeoman farmers, and slaves all play their roles in Beckett's sweeping magnum opus. Beckett clearly demonstrates how their fates are intertwined with the development of modern capitalism and how they shaped our present world of profound inequality. This book demonstrates that there is no so-called "globalized" stage of capitalism; capitalism has been globalized from its inception.
◎ Celebrity recommendation: "The Cotton Empire" was written in contemporary times, but its structure and layout reveal the grandeur of a classical epic... For colleagues in the field of global history, "The Cotton Empire" has set a benchmark for research quality.
—— Wang Xi, Professor of History Department, Peking University The book "Cotton Empire" is a masterpiece that uses the global history method to explain the origin of the modern world. So far, I think this book is one of the most successful works that uses the global history method to explore important historical issues.
— Zhong Weimin, Professor of History at Tsinghua University. Cotton and cotton cloth are among the most important products ever produced by mankind. In a sense, the Industrial Revolution that transformed the world began with the cotton textile industry. This book vividly describes how entrepreneurs and politicians in modern Europe transformed the cotton textile industry into its most important industrial sector, while also revealing the key phenomena of modern society: imperialism, slavery, machine production, and wage labor. As the world's largest cotton textile producer, the Chinese people should learn about this period of history through this book.
—— Li Bochong, professor of the History Department of Tsinghua University, is incredibly knowledgeable.
—— Orhan Pamuk is fascinating and profound...this is how global history should be written.
—Eric Foner, American historian. "Beckett convincingly demonstrates how Europe's voracious cotton textile trade fostered the emergence of capitalism, drawing clear connections between the practices that nurtured the cotton empire and similar elements in the production of goods for today's large international retailers. Those eager to learn more about how and why slavery flourished in Europe, Africa, and the Americas will find this book deeply illuminating. Even better, those who benefited from the legacy of the cotton empire and find the exploitation and enslavement of workers deeply disturbing will find further inspiration in their efforts to achieve a more just and equitable society."
—Ruth Simmons, President Emeritus of Brown University ◎ "Excellently recommended by the media… Deeply researched and highly readable, Empire of Cotton offers fresh insights into the relentless expansion of global capitalism. With beautiful prose and clear, compelling arguments, Beckett charts not only the expansion of cotton capitalism…but also the conditions of enslaved labor in the fields and wage workers in the factories. A stunning achievement."
—Thomas Bender, The New York Times
This is a significant piece of scholarship, unsurpassed in its study of cotton as a commodity. As Beckett put it, the cotton industry was the “launching platform” for the Industrial Revolution.
—Adam Hochschild, The New York Times Book Review
Amazingly comprehensive, informative, and sobering.
—Glenn Altshuler, Tulsa World
Persuasive...excellent...Beckett's detailed account leaves out nothing of the rich and varied nature of the cotton industry, while also describing its impact on so many different societies.
—Wendy Smith, The Boston Globe
Empire of Cotton proves Sven Beckett one of the new elite of truly global historians. Today, academic history is rarely written for the general public. Empire of Cotton transcends this barrier, reaching readers not only for scholars and students but also for the general intelligentsia. The book is rich and varied in its treatment of the subject matter. Its structure is remarkably elegant, and its use of primary and secondary sources is impressive and diverse. Overviews of international trends alternate with memorable events... Beckett's book makes me wish for a sequel.
—Daniel Walker Howe, The Washington Post
So meaningful, so beautiful…Empire of Cotton is one of the best nonfiction books of the year.
—Karen Long, Newsday
Intellectually ambitious…a historian's masterpiece.
—Timothy Schenck, The Nation
A very detailed and thought-provoking work.
--"bibliography"
Weighty, informative, and engaging… Beckett’s narrative technique keeps the story of capitalism fresh and interesting for all readers.
—Publishers Weekly
Beckett's close study of the cotton economy provides a valuable model for the study of capitalism, in which slavery and colonialism are not isolated but part of a whole...a valuable contribution.
—Kirkus Reviews
◎ Award information★ 2015 Bancroft Book Award★ 2015 Pulitzer Prize in History Finalist★ The New York Times Top Ten Books of 2015★ The Economist Best Books of 2015
......

2019-03-01

民主与建设出版社

the new wave

512

9787513923927