The Emergence of the Global Political Economy (International Relations and History Series)

The Emergence of the Global Political Economy challenges the assumption that the international political economy is a recent phenomenon. Instead this volume asserts that the current global political economy began to take shape around 1500 and that some of today's key processes were already perceivable several hundred years ago. The book explains the interdependence between long-term economic growth, global political leadership and global war and how this interdependence has evolved over the last 500 years, and includes discussion of: *the ascendence of Western Europe and the significance of the 1490s *the military superiority thesis *sequences of leadership and of challenge to the global political economy *the importance of commodities from sugar and cloth to slaves and bullion *the Anglo-American rivalry until the First World War. Given The Current Fascination With Globalization And Its Possible Implications, It Is Worth Keeping In Mind That The Processes Associated With Globalization Have Been Ongoing For Centuries. The Book Focuses On The Emergence Of A Global Political Economy As Early As The Sixteenth Century Although Even This Development Had Been Preceded By Centuries Of Changes Leading Up To A Closer Economic Integration Of Eastern And Western Eurasia. Several Themes Are Addressed. The Political Economic Dynamics For The Global System Can Be Generalized But They Are Not Timeless. Circumstances Helped Create A Global Political Economy And, Once Created, It Continues To Evolve And Undergo Transformation. While We Cannot Assume That This Process Will Go On Forever, It Is Possible To Sketch Out Its General Parameters, And To Use The Historical Tendencies To Speculate About The Future Of The Global Political Economy. The Argument Is Not Simply That The System Is Or Has Been Governed By A Cycle Of Periods Of Economic-political-military Primacy, And Leadership Succession Attempts, Although That Has Been The Case, But Also That There Are Aspects Of The Dynamics That Suggest A Potential For Further Fundamental Transformation Of The Global Political Economy.--jacket. Pt. I. Introduction And Overview -- 1. K-waves, Leadership Cycles, And Global War: An Orientation -- 2. Evolutionary And Coevolutionary Considerations -- Pt. Ii. The Ascendance Of Western Europe -- 3. The 1490s: A Question Of Evolutionary (dis)continuity? -- 4. The Divergent Coevolution Of Two Eurasian Regions -- 5. The Military Superiority Thesis -- Pt. Iii. The Leadership Challenge Sequence -- 6. The Emergence Of A Challenge Process -- 7. Mountains Of Gold And Iron -- 8. Challenges In The Active Zone -- Pt. Iv. Structural Change And Evolution -- 9. Britain As A System Leader In The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries -- 10. The Anglo-american Rivalry Before World War I -- 11. Passing The Torch In A Manner Of Speaking: The System Leader Lineage. William R. Thompson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 233-245) And Index. The Emergence of the Global Political Economy challenges the assumption that the international political economy is a recent phenomenon. Instead this volume asserts that the current global political economy began to take shape around 1500 and that some of today's key processes were already perceivable several hundred years ago. The book explains the interdependence between long-term economic growth, global political leadership and global war and how this interdependence has evolved over the last 500 years, and includes discussion of: *the ascendence of Western Europe and the significance of the 1490s *the military superiority thesis *sequences of leadership and of challenge to the global political economy *the importance of commodities from sugar and cloth to slaves and bullion *the Anglo-American rivalry until the First World War. The Emergence of the Global Political Economy challenges the assumption that the international political economy is a recent phenomenon. Instead this volume asserts that the current global political economy began to take shape around 1500 and that some of today's key processes were already perceivable several hundred years ago. The book explains the interdependence between long-term economic growth, global political leadership and global war and how this interdependence has evolved over the last 500 years, and includes discussion of: *the ascendence of Western Europe and the significance of the 1490s *the military superiority thesis *sequences of leadership and of challenge to the global political economy *the importance of commodities from sugar and cloth to slaves and bullion *the Anglo-American rivalry until the First World War "Given the current fascination with globalization and its possible implications, it is worth keeping in mind that the processes associated with globalization have been ongoing for centuries. The book focuses on the emergence of a global political economy as early as the sixteenth century although even this development had been preceded by centuries of changes leading up to a closer economic integration of eastern and western Eurasia. Several themes are addressed. The political economic dynamics for the global system can be generalized but they are not timeless. Circumstances helped create a global political economy and, once created, it continues to evolve and undergo transformation. While we cannot assume that this process will go on forever, it is possible to sketch out its general parameters, and to use the historical tendencies to speculate about the future of the global political economy. The argument is not simply that the system is or has been governed by a cycle of periods of economic-political-military primacy, and leadership succession attempts, although that has been the case, but also that there are aspects of the dynamics that suggest a potential for further fundamental transformation of the global political economy."--Résumé de l'éditeur Humanities Book Cover 1 Title 4 Contents 5 List of figures 8 List of tables 9 Preface 10 Introduction and overview 14 K-waves, leadership cycles, and global war: an orientation 16 Evolutionary and coevolutionary considerations 35 The ascendance of western europe 50 The 1490s: a question of evolutionary (dis)continuity? 52 The divergent coevolution of two eurasian regions 67 The military superiority thesis 87 The leadership challenge sequence 114 The emergence of a challenge process 116 Mountains of gold and iron 132 Challenges in the active zone 147 Structural change and evolution 170 Britain as a system leader in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries 172 The Anglo-American rivalry before World War I 201 Passing the torch in a manner of speaking: the system leader lineage 218 Notes 235 References 246 Index 259 "The Emergence of the Global Political Economy" challenges assumptions that the international political economy is a recent phenomenon. Instead, this volume asserts that the current global political economy began to take shape around 1500 and that some of today's key processes were already perceivable hundreds of years ago. The author explains the interdependence between long-term economic growth, global political leadership and global war and how this interdependence has evolved over the past 500 years, and includes discussions of: the ascendance of Western Europe and the significance of the 1490s the military superiority thesis sequences of leadership and of challenge to the global political economy the importance of commodities from sugar and cloth to slaves and bullion.

A survey on a global scale of how politics and economics have interacted to shape international relations and the world in which we live.