How the West Came to Rule

By Alexander Anievas, Kerem Nisancioglu,

Book cover of How the West Came to Rule: The Geopolitical Origins of Capitalism

Book description

*Winner of International Studies Association (ISA)'s International Political Sociology Best Book Prize for 2017*

*Winner of British International Studies Association (BISA)'s International Political Economy Working Group Book Prize of 2016*

*Shortlisted for the ISA Book Prize*

Mainstream historical accounts of the development of capitalism describe a process which is fundamentally…

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Why read it?

1 author picked How the West Came to Rule as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I found this book so interesting because it documents how European prosperity was also shaped by deep historical ties with Asia. Digging through a huge trove of historical archives, the authors document how Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire brought capitalist practices to Europe in the 13th century.

It’s not an easy read, but I found that careful study pays off because it offers such an original perspective on Europe’s success. I liked how their evidence buttresses Blaut’s more speculative critique of Eurocentrism, also extending it by showing that Asian initiative shaped European success—it was not just colonialism and slavery.

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