Ellen Meiksins Wood Knihy

Renomovaná autorka vo svojej knihe nahliada pod povrch systému, vysvetľuje jeho štruktúru, mechanizmy a rozoberá princípy fungovania kapitalizmu i z neho zrodeného nového imperializmu – imperializmu kapitálu. Predstavuje analytické a zároveň i historické pojednanie o kapitalistickom imperializme, o jeho hybných silách a odlišnostiach v porovnaní s inými formami imperializmu. Autorkina sonda odkrýva mechanizmy kapitalizmu, ktoré sú dnes zahmlené a skryté v pozadí, kým v minulosti bývalo centrum moci zrejmé a štrukturalizované. Rozoberá vzťah medzi ekonomickou a politickou mocou v kapitalizme a odhaľuje skutočnú úlohu vojenskej moci v ňom, ale i rozporuplnosť systému, v ktorom je na udržanie globalizovaného hospodárstva potrebný systém viacerých štátov. Tvrdí, že nový imperializmus býva označovaný ako globalizácia, pričom dôvodom je podľa nej jeho závislosť od ekonomickej nadvlády presahujúcej geografické hranice či politické kompetencie. Kapitalistický systém autorka prekvapivo demaskuje ako „anarchistický systém, v ktorom zákony trhu ohrozujú spoločenský poriadok“.

Wenige Fragen der Geschichte haben so viele aktuelle politische Implikationen wie die scheinbar so einfache: Wie ist der Kapitalismus entstanden? In dieser erhellenden Arbeit widerlegt Ellen Meiksins Wood die meisten vorhandenen Darstellungen über den Ursprung des Kapitalismus, denen es nicht gelingt, die spezifischen Eigenschaften des Kapitalismus als Gesellschaftssystem zu erkennen, und die ihn stattdessen als Höhepunkt einer natürlichen menschlichen Neigung zum Handel erscheinen lassen. Aber nur mit einem richtigen Verständnis der Anfänge des Kapitalismus, so Wood, können wir uns die Möglichkeit seines Endes vorstellen. Ellen Meiksins Wood beginnt ihre Erforschung der Ursprünge des Kapitalismus mit einer Untersuchung der klassischen Denker von Adam Smith bis hin zu Max Weber, um dann die großen marxistischen Debatten zwischen Autoren wie Paul Sweezy, Maurice Dobb, Robert Brenner, Perry Anderson und E. P. Thompson zu erkunden. In ihrer eigenen Darstellung der agrarischen Ursprünge des Kapitalismus stellt sie schließlich die Verbindung des Kapitalismus mit Städten, die Gleichsetzung von »kapitalistisch« mit »bürgerlich« und die von diesen Annahmen abgeleiteten Konzeptionen von Moderne und Postmoderne infrage.

This work offers a contemporary reinterpretation of Marxism, arguing that it remains a powerful lens for critically analyzing capitalism. It delves into the relevance of Marxist theory in understanding modern economic structures and social dynamics, highlighting its strengths in addressing contemporary issues. The author presents a compelling case for why Marxism continues to be a vital framework for critique and discussion in today's capitalist society.

A survey of influential trends in contemporary Marxist theory which examines the relationship between class, politics and ideology. The introduction discusses the relevance of the text in a post-Soviet world and argues for a re-examination of class politics.

A sweeping and nuanced materialist history of Western political thought

This book presents a groundbreaking perspective on the evolution of political theory, challenging traditional narratives and interpretations. It delves into the influences that have shaped political thought throughout history, examining key figures and movements that have redefined the landscape of governance and power. By integrating a diverse range of sources and methodologies, it offers fresh insights and connections that illuminate the complexities of political ideologies and their impact on contemporary society.

The formation of the modern state, the rise of capitalism, the Renaissance and Reformation, the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment have all been attributed to the “early modern” period. Nearly everything about its history remains controversial, but one thing is certain: it left a rich and provocative legacy of political ideas unmatched in Western history. The concepts of liberty, equality, property, human rights and revolution born in those turbulent centuries continue to shape, and to limit, political discourse today. Assessing the work and background of figures such as Machiavelli, Luther, Calvin, Spinoza, the Levellers, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, Ellen Wood vividly explores the ideas of the canonical thinkers, not as philosophical abstractions but as passionately engaged responses to the social conflicts of their day.

Ellen Meiksins Wood challenges most existing accounts of capitalism's origins, arguing that they fail to recognize its distinctive attributes as a social system by making its emergence seem natural and inevitable

The Origin of Capitalism was one of those 'Aha!' moments. Wood was an extraordinarily rigorous and imaginative thinker, someone who breathed life into Marxist political theory and made it speak-not to just to me but to many others-at multiple levels: historical, theoretical, political. -Corey Robin, Jacobin The writing is so supple and accessible, and the argument so persuasive, it's like watching a cloudy mixture of ideas being turned into a clear solution. -Adrienne Rich This extremely valuable book offers an insightful tour of the historical debates surrounding the transition from feudalism to capitalism ... a must-read for anyone with even the remotest interest in the origins of capitalism, or economic thought in general, from undergraduates through professionals. - Choice Brilliant book ... Into the central thread of her argument, Ellen Meiksins Wood has woven a wonderfully rich texture of comment on the arguments and debates that preceded her ... not just a valuable new interpretation of an old history, it carries important lessons for our own times. - Spokesman

The controversial thesis at the center of this study is that, despite the importance of slavery in Athenian society, the most distinctive characteristic of Athenian democracy was the unprecedented prominence it gave to free labor. Wood argues that the emergence of the peasant as citizen, juridically and politically independent, accounts for much that is remarkable in Athenian political institutions and culture.From a survey of historical writings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the focus of which distorted later debates, Wood goes on to take issue with recent arguments, such as those of G.E.M. de Ste Croix, about the importance of slavery in agricultural production. The social, political and cultural influence of the peasant-citizen is explored in a way which questions some of the most cherished conventions of Marxist and non-Marxist historiography. This book will be of great interest to ancient historians, classicists, anthropologists and political theorists, as well as to a wider reading public.