---
product_id: 20099967
title: "Empire of Cotton: A Global History"
price: "€ 43.56"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/20099967-empire-of-cotton-a-global-history
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# Empire of Cotton: A Global History

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## Description

desertcart.com: Empire of Cotton: A Global History: 9780375713965: Beckert, Sven: Books

Review: The Darker side of the English Industrial Revolution and Western Superiority - The reasons I really enjoyed reading this book are: a) it gives a very different view of the English Industrial Revolution, b) it is a fascinating historical account, c) it brings to light in a detailed and readable manner the darker side of capitalism. An important part of our view of the western world is that the English Industrial Revolution arose out of inventions, technological innovation, institutional and legal structures, literacy and numeracy and a few other very important advances in Western European society ( not in other parts of the world ) which led to an enormous leap in productivity, and which in turn allowed mankind to achieve a far higher level of prosperity and well-being. Inotherwords, superior western technology and human endeavour was what brought us the wonderful world of modernity: capitalism is great. This book, rather Marxist in tone ( although I doubt the author would describe himself as Marxist ) lets us see that the latter may all be true but we are missing another essential ingredient to this story of success, embodied in the cotton industry, central to and emblematic of that Revoluition: the plundering of Indian technology, quota and tarriff barriers on imports of poorer countries, monopolistic trade practices, the organization of human trafficking and slavery, dispossesion of native and foreign lands ( Amercian indians, and Mexican ) for cotton growing, child labour, the ruination of rural and city life, and so on. A lot of this has been corrected over the past two centuries, but the auhtor points out that much continues in developing countries. These are the darker aspects, and less glamorous side of capitalism, and should not be downplayed. The book is based on enormous erudition: one third of the 600 or so pages is used for notes and references to the immense bibliography which the author brings to his work. The book does not make reference to lofty abstract concepts of "alienation" or "reification" as a typical Marxist theoretician would, it simply outlines in sometimes repetitive detail the evolution of an industry central to the growth of capitalism with exquisite detail and a graphical, fascinating historical narrative. Every reader can take the conclusions he or she wants from Beckert's work: mine was not so much to discard capitalism as a valid economic model, but as one whose origins should be borne in mind in its modern application.
Review: Improve your knowledge of history and economics - This book chronicles the spread of cotton as the dominant textile, enabled by coupled economic (low wage, or slave, labor) and technological factors (cotton gin, spinning jenny, programmed looms) and financed by capital from state and private institutions. It started with the ante-bellum American south, enabling the industrial finished cloth empire in England; when the supply from the American south was cut off by the Civil War primary production shifted to Egypt and India, where subsistence farmers lowered their standard of living as they were forced into growing cotton which paid less than the accelerating cost of food. Cotton worldwide continued to increase so the by the end of the 19th century US production was more than twice it's pre Civil War level. The manufacturing of cloth and finished goods shifted from England to lower wage Asia, eventually settling in China and Japan in the early 20th century. About 98 percent of all garments sold in the United States today are made abroad. Now massive retailers like Walmart, Metro, and Carrefour that have come to dominate the commodity chains linking contractors, subcontractors, farmers, mills, and sweatshops. Products are “pulled” across oceans by retailers, allowing them to pit manufacturers, contractors, and workers against one another to ensure the quickest speed and lowest cost. The state, the very institution that facilitated capitalists’ rise to wealth and power in the first place, is now increasingly desperate for their investments. In 2001, the U.S. government paid a record $ 4 billion in subsidies to US cotton growers, a cost that exceeded the market value of the crop (14% of worldwide production) by 30%. Not only is this history a fascinating read, but the economic observations along the way provide more insight into the workings of capitalism than can be found in most textbooks on the subject.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #45,202 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3 in Fashion & Textile Business #9 in Slavery & Emancipation History #87 in Economic History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (954) |
| Dimensions  | 5.16 x 1.35 x 7.99 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0375713964 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0375713965 |
| Item Weight  | 1.3 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 640 pages |
| Publication date  | November 10, 2015 |
| Publisher  | Vintage |

## Images

![Empire of Cotton: A Global History - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PaGyqn-pL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Darker side of the English Industrial Revolution and Western Superiority
*by A***W on November 13, 2015*

The reasons I really enjoyed reading this book are: a) it gives a very different view of the English Industrial Revolution, b) it is a fascinating historical account, c) it brings to light in a detailed and readable manner the darker side of capitalism. An important part of our view of the western world is that the English Industrial Revolution arose out of inventions, technological innovation, institutional and legal structures, literacy and numeracy and a few other very important advances in Western European society ( not in other parts of the world ) which led to an enormous leap in productivity, and which in turn allowed mankind to achieve a far higher level of prosperity and well-being. Inotherwords, superior western technology and human endeavour was what brought us the wonderful world of modernity: capitalism is great. This book, rather Marxist in tone ( although I doubt the author would describe himself as Marxist ) lets us see that the latter may all be true but we are missing another essential ingredient to this story of success, embodied in the cotton industry, central to and emblematic of that Revoluition: the plundering of Indian technology, quota and tarriff barriers on imports of poorer countries, monopolistic trade practices, the organization of human trafficking and slavery, dispossesion of native and foreign lands ( Amercian indians, and Mexican ) for cotton growing, child labour, the ruination of rural and city life, and so on. A lot of this has been corrected over the past two centuries, but the auhtor points out that much continues in developing countries. These are the darker aspects, and less glamorous side of capitalism, and should not be downplayed. The book is based on enormous erudition: one third of the 600 or so pages is used for notes and references to the immense bibliography which the author brings to his work. The book does not make reference to lofty abstract concepts of "alienation" or "reification" as a typical Marxist theoretician would, it simply outlines in sometimes repetitive detail the evolution of an industry central to the growth of capitalism with exquisite detail and a graphical, fascinating historical narrative. Every reader can take the conclusions he or she wants from Beckert's work: mine was not so much to discard capitalism as a valid economic model, but as one whose origins should be borne in mind in its modern application.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Improve your knowledge of history and economics
*by P***G on October 16, 2016*

This book chronicles the spread of cotton as the dominant textile, enabled by coupled economic (low wage, or slave, labor) and technological factors (cotton gin, spinning jenny, programmed looms) and financed by capital from state and private institutions. It started with the ante-bellum American south, enabling the industrial finished cloth empire in England; when the supply from the American south was cut off by the Civil War primary production shifted to Egypt and India, where subsistence farmers lowered their standard of living as they were forced into growing cotton which paid less than the accelerating cost of food. Cotton worldwide continued to increase so the by the end of the 19th century US production was more than twice it's pre Civil War level. The manufacturing of cloth and finished goods shifted from England to lower wage Asia, eventually settling in China and Japan in the early 20th century. About 98 percent of all garments sold in the United States today are made abroad. Now massive retailers like Walmart, Metro, and Carrefour that have come to dominate the commodity chains linking contractors, subcontractors, farmers, mills, and sweatshops. Products are “pulled” across oceans by retailers, allowing them to pit manufacturers, contractors, and workers against one another to ensure the quickest speed and lowest cost. The state, the very institution that facilitated capitalists’ rise to wealth and power in the first place, is now increasingly desperate for their investments. In 2001, the U.S. government paid a record $ 4 billion in subsidies to US cotton growers, a cost that exceeded the market value of the crop (14% of worldwide production) by 30%. Not only is this history a fascinating read, but the economic observations along the way provide more insight into the workings of capitalism than can be found in most textbooks on the subject.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
*by S***E on January 23, 2016*

This book is a must read for all history buffs.the author has done extensive research for this book.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Empire of Cotton: A Global History
- The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy (Princeton Classics)
- Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History

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*Last updated: 2026-03-11*