"Empire of Cotton" Author: Sven Beckett [USA] Publisher: Democracy and Construction Press

Introduction
The winning works of the 2015 Bancroft Prize, recommended by Wang Xi, Zhong Weimin and Li Bochong!
The history of the cotton industry connecting six continents describes the process of capitalist globalization.
The concept of "war capitalism" was proposed to subvert the myth of "free capitalism".
◎ Editor's Recommendation
☆ Winner of the 2015 Bancroft Prize, the highest award in American history
☆ Recommended by Professor Wang Xi of the History Department of Peking University and Professor Zhong Weimin of the History Department of Tsinghua University
☆Recommended by many media including The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, The Economist, etc., and a bestseller on Amazon in the United States
In this magnificent historical work spanning four hundred years and involving seven continents, the author starts with the commodity of cotton and allows us to see how the history of capitalism is closely linked to the history of nation-states, colonial history, and the history of the slave trade.
◎ Introduction
Cotton products are so ubiquitous in our lives that we often fail to notice their importance. But the history of the cotton industry is actually closely linked to the history of modern capitalism. Understanding the history of the cotton industry is the key to understanding capitalism and the contemporary world. Sven Beckert, the author of this book, explains how European countries and capitalists reshaped one of the most important industries in world history in a short period of time and thus changed the face of the world by narrating the history of the cotton industry.
This book is a truly global history, covering five continents, linking the African slave trade with the Red Sea trade, and the American Civil War with cotton cultivation in India. In Beckett's magnificent masterpiece, merchants, commercial capitalists, brokers, agents, state bureaucrats, industrial capitalists, tenant farmers, self-employed farmers, and slaves all have their own roles. Beckett clearly shows how the fate of these people is linked to the development of modern capitalism and how it shapes our current world of great inequality. This book tells us that there is no so-called "globalized" stage of capitalism. Capitalism has been globalized from the beginning.
◎ Celebrity recommendation
"Empire of Cotton" was written in contemporary times, but its structure and layout reveal the grandeur of a classical epic... For colleagues in the field of global history, "Empire of Cotton" has set a benchmark for research quality.
—— Wang Xi, Professor of History, Peking University
The book "Empire of Cotton" is a masterpiece that uses the global history method to explain the origin of the modern world. So far, I think this book is one of the most successful works that uses the global history method to explore important historical issues.
—— Zhong Weimin, Professor of History, Tsinghua University
Cotton and cotton cloth are one of the most important products in human history. In a sense, the industrial revolution that changed the world began with the cotton textile industry. This book vividly tells us how modern European entrepreneurs and politicians turned the cotton textile industry into the most important industrial sector, and how important phenomena in modern society such as imperialism, slavery, machine production and wage labor were accompanied by this. As the world's largest cotton textile producer, the Chinese should learn about this period of history through this book.
—— Li Bozhong, Professor of History, Tsinghua University
Amazingly knowledgeable.
— Orhan Pamuk
Fascinating and profound...this is how global history should be written.
— Eric Foner, American historian
"Compelling...Beckett convincingly shows how Europe's voracious cotton textile trade enabled the emergence of capitalism, drawing clear connections between the practices that nourished the cotton empire and similar elements of producing goods for today's large international retailers. Those eager to learn more about how and why slavery flourished in Europe, Africa, and the Americas will find this book deeply illuminating. Even better, those who have benefited from the legacy of the cotton empire and find the exploitation and enslavement of workers quite disturbing will find further inspiration in working towards a more just and equitable society."
—Ruth Simmons, President Emeritus of Brown University
◎ Media Recommendation
Excellent…Empire of Cotton is a thoroughly researched and highly readable book that offers new insights into the relentless expansion of global capitalism. Beautifully written and with a clear and compelling argument, Beckett charts not only the expansion of cotton capitalism…but also the conditions of slave labor in the fields and salaried workers in the factories. A stunning achievement.
—Thomas Bender, The New York Times
Very important… This is important scholarship, and it will not be surpassed any time soon in the study of cotton, a commodity that was, as Beckett put it, the “launching platform” for the Industrial Revolution.
—Adam Hochschild, The New York Times Book Review
Amazingly comprehensive, informative, and sobering.
--Glenn Altshuler, Tulsa World
Convincing...excellent...Beckett's detailed account leaves out nothing of the colourful nature of the cotton industry, while also describing its impact on many different societies.
-- Wendy Smith, The Boston Globe
Empire of Cotton proves that Sven Beckett is one of the new elite of truly global historians. Today's academic history is rarely written for the general public. Empire of Cotton transcends this barrier and can be read not only by scholars and students, but also by the general intelligentsia. The book is rich and varied in its treatment of the subject. The book is very elegantly structured, with an impressive and varied use of primary and secondary sources. Overviews of international trends alternate with memorable events...Beckett's book makes me wish there was a sequel.
—Daniel Walker Howe, The Washington Post
So meaningful, so beautiful…Empire of Cotton is one of the best nonfiction books of the year.
--Karen Long, Newsday
Intellectually ambitious... a historian's masterpiece.
—Timothy Schenk, The Nation
◎ Award information
★ 2015 Bancroft Book Award
★ Shortlisted for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in History
★ The New York Times' Top Ten Books of 2015
★ The Economist's Best Books of 2015
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