62 pages 2 hours read

Sven Beckert

Empire of Cotton

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2014

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

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?

2.

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?

3.

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? 

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 62 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools