The Wealth of (Some) Nations : Imperialism and the Mechanics of Value Transfer

A taboo-busting critique of the transfer of wealth from the global South to the global North. In this provocative new study, Zak Cope makes the case that capitalism is empirically inseparable from imperialism, historically and today. Using a rigourous political economic framework, he lays bare the vast ongoing transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries through the mechanisms of monopoly rent, unequal exchange and colonial tribute. The result is a polarised international class structure with a relatively rich Global North and an impoverished, exploited Global South. Cope makes the controversial claim that it is because of these conditions that workers in rich countries benefit from higher incomes and welfare systems with public health, education, pensions and social security. As a result, the internationalism of populations in the Global North is weakened and transnational solidarity is compromised. The only way forward, Cope argues, is through a renewed anti-imperialist politics rooted in a firm commitment to a radical labour internationalism. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 6 List of Tables and Figures......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Introduction......Page 10 Part I: The Mechanics of Imperialism......Page 16 1. Value Transfer......Page 18 2. Colonial Tribute......Page 31 3. Monopoly Rent......Page 42 4. Unequal Exchange......Page 56 Part II: The Econometrics of Imperialism......Page 68 5. Imperialism and Its Denial......Page 70 6. Measuring Imperialist Value Transfer......Page 84 7. Measuring Colonial Value Transfer......Page 97 8. Comparing Value Transfer to Profits, Wages and Capital......Page 111 Part III: Foundations of the Labour Aristocracy......Page 128 9. Anti-Imperialist Marxism and the Wages of Imperialism......Page 130 10. The Metropolitan Labour Aristocracy......Page 142 11. The Native Labour Aristocracy......Page 158 Part IV: Social Imperialism Past and Present......Page 176 12. Social Imperialism before the First World War......Page 178 13. Social Imperialism after the First World War......Page 192 14. Social-Imperialist Marxism......Page 207 15. Conclusion: Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism Today......Page 218 Appendix: Physical Quality of Life in Capitalist and Socialist Countries......Page 228 Notes......Page 233 Bibliography......Page 251 Index......Page 268 In this provocative new study, Zak Cope makes the case that capitalism is empirically inseparable from imperialism, historically and today. Using a rigourous political economic framework, he lays bare the vast ongoing transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries through the mechanisms of monopoly rent, unequal exchange and colonial tribute. The result is a polarised international class structure with a relatively rich Global North and an impoverished, exploited Global South.

Cope makes the controversial claim that it is because of these conditions that workers in rich countries benefit from higher incomes and welfare systems with public health, education, pensions and social security. As a result, the internationalism of populations in the Global North is weakened and transnational solidarity is compromised.

The only way forward, Cope argues, is through a renewed anti-imperialist politics rooted in a firm commitment to a radical labour internationalism. In this provocative new study, Zak Cope makes the case that capitalism is empirically inseparable from imperialism, historically and today. Using a rigorous political economic framework, he lays bare the vast ongoing transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries through the mechanisms of monopoly rent, unequal exchange, and colonial tribute. The result is a polarized international class structure with a relatively rich Global North and an impoverished, exploited Global South. Cope makes the controversial claim that it is because of these conditions that workers in rich countries benefit from higher incomes and welfare systems with public health, education, pensions, and social security. As a result, the internationalism of populations in the Global North is weakened and transnational solidarity is compromised. The only way forward, Cope argues is through a renewed anti-imperialist politics rooted in a firm commitment to a radical labor internationalism. The author makes the case that capitalism is empirically inseparable from imperialism, historically and today. using a rigorous political economy framework, he lays bare the vast ongoing transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest countries through the mechanisms of monopoly rent, unequal exchange and colonial tribute. The result is a polarized international class structure with a relatively rich global North and an impoverished, exploited global South. the author makes the controversial claim that it is because of these conditions that workers in rich countries benefit from higher incomes and welfare systems with public health, education, pensions and social security. As a result, the internationalism of populations int he global North is weakened and transnational solidarity is compromised. The only way forward, the author argues, is through a renewed anti-imperialist politics rooted in a firm commitment to a radical labour internationalism