Empire of Cotton

Why does Beckert believe that cotton is so important to the birth and evolution of modern capitalism? Which of his arguments do you find most persuasive? Are there ways in which his arguments fall flat?

What is “war capitalism”? How is it related to industrial capitalism? Does war capitalism or evidence of its legacy still exist in the world? If so, where?

While free market capitalism is often said to be free of state intervention, Beckert offers a rich body of evidence that runs contrary to this claim. What are some of the ways in which state power, projected either domestically or in foreign lands, promoted the growth of industrial markets?