Civilization and capitalism, 15th-18th century

Title Civilization and capitalism, 15th-18th century
The wheels of commerce
Original title Civilisation matérielle, économie et capitalisme
Author Fernand Braudel; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds
Publication Fontana
Size 670p
Language ENG ENG
ISBN 0006860788
Topics Economics--History
Civilization--Modern--History
Social history
Notes Braudel discussed the idea of long-term cycles in the capitalist economy which developed in Europe in the 12th century. Particular cities, and later nation-states, follow each other sequentially as centers of these cycles: Venice and Genoa in the 13th through 15th centuries (1250–1510), Antwerp in the 16th century (1500–1569), Amsterdam in the 16th through 18th centuries (1570–1733), and London (and England) in the 18th and 19th centuries (1733–1896). He used the word "structures" to denote a variety of organized behaviours, attitudes, and conventions, as well as literal structures and infrastructures. He argued that structures that were built up in Europe during the Middle Ages contributed to the successes of present-day European-based cultures. He attributed much of this to the long-standing independence of city-states, which, though later subjugated by larger geographic states, were not always completely suppressed—probably for reasons of utility. Braudel argued that capitalists have typically been monopolists and not, as is usually assumed, entrepreneurs operating in competitive markets. He argued that capitalists did not specialize and did not use free markets. He thus diverged from both liberal (Adam Smith) and Marxian interpretations. In Braudel's view, under capitalism the state has served as a guarantor of monopolists rather than as the protector of competition usually portrayed. He asserted that capitalists have had power and cunning on their side as they have arrayed themselves against the majority of the population. It should be noted that an agrarian structure is a long-term structure in the Braudelian understanding of the concept. On a larger scale the agrarian structure is more dependent on the regional, social, cultural and historical factors than on the state’s undertaken activities. [wikipedia]
909.08
BRAU 3:2
38536
Available
Available
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