Semiperipheral Development: The Politics of Southern Europe in the Twentieth Century

by Giovanni Arrighi

Semiperipheral Development is the first book to place the history of Southern Europe in comparative and world-historical context by seeking to chart and explain common political-economic developments in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Arrighi focuses on the convergence of these countries' experiences in the context of the current world-system: 'Just as the convergence of the five countries towards authoritarian regimes and neo-mercantilist policies came to a head in the course of the world political-economic crisis of the 1930's, so their convergence towards parliamentary regimes and neo-liberal policies has come to a head during the world political-economic crisis of the 1970's'.

Hardcover

Published July 1, 1985

About the author

Giovanni Arrighi was Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. His books include The Long Twentieth Century, Adam Smith in Beijing, and, with Beverly Silver, Chaos and Governance in the Modern World System. His work has appeared in many publications, including New Left Review.