"The Long Twentieth Century" traces the epochal shifts in the relationship between capital accumulation and state formation over a 700-year period. Borrowing from Braudel, Arrighi argues that the history of capitalism has unfolded as a succession of "long centuries" - ages during which a hegemonic power deploying a novel combination of economic and political networks secured control over an expanding world-economic space. The book concludes with an examination of the forces which have shaped and are now poised to undermine America's world power.

About the Author

GIOVANNI ARRIGHI is Professor of Sociology at John Hopkins University, USA. His books include The Long Twentieth Century, and his work has appeared in many publications, including New Left Review.

Reviews

"A vivid, fact-filled expose of the cyclical monetary forces that surge through human society." Observer Review"