Ιστορία του καπιταλισμού

by Jürgen Kocka, Μαρία Τοπάλη (Translator), Ανδρέας Κακριδής (Editor)

Ο καπιταλισμός είναι ένα οικονομικό φαινόμενο με τεράστιες κοινωνικές, πολιτικές και πολιτισμικές διαστάσεις, που στις μέρες μας έχει διαποτίσει και την τελευταία σχεδόν γωνιά του πλανήτη. Πρόκειται για ένα φαινόμενο που συνδέεται με εντυπωσιακά επιτεύγματα, αλλά και με οξύτατες κρίσεις, αντιθέσεις, ανισότητες και αποτυχίες.

Είναι, επίσης, ένα φαινόμενο με βαθιές ιστορικές ρίζες, το οποίο απασχόλησε, μεταξύ άλλων, διανοητές όπως ο Καρλ Μαρξ, ο Μαξ Βέμπερ και ο Γιόζεφ Σούμπετερ. Σε τούτο το πυκνό, συνοπτικό αλλά και ιδιαίτερα προσιτό βιβλίο, ο συγγραφέας Jürgen Kocka, ένας από τους σημαντικότερους σήμερα ειδήμονες στο πεδίο της κοινωνικής ιστορίας, αναλύει τον καπιταλισμό στην ιστορική του εξέλιξη, από τις μεσαιωνικές απαρχές του έως την κρίση του 2008 – πάντοτε σε συνάρτηση με το κοινωνικό, πολιτικό και πολιτισμικό πλαίσιο της εκάστοτε εποχής.

Βασισμένο σε εκτεταμένη ιστορική και θεωρητική έρευνα, περιγράφει με μοναδικό τρόπο την πορεία από τον εμπορικό καπιταλισμό των Αράβων, της Κίνας και της προνεωτερικής Ευρώπης στην εκβιομηχάνιση του 19ου και του 20ού αιώνα, και στον παγκοσμιοποιημένο χρηματοπιστωτικό καπιταλισμό των ημερών μας, αναδεικνύοντας πόσο καταλυτικό ρόλο έπαιξε το σύνθετο αυτό φαινόμενο στη διαμόρφωση του σημερινού κόσμου.


ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ
I. Τι σημαίνει καπιταλισμός;
- Ανάδυση μιας αμφιλεγόμενης έννοιας
- Τρεις κλασικοί: Μαρξ, Βέμπερ, Σουμπέτερ
- Άλλες φωνές και ένας ορισμός εργασίας

II. Εμπορικός καπιταλισμός
- Απαρχές
- Κίνα και Αραβία
- Ευρώπη: καθυστερημένη, αλλά δυναμική
- Η κατάσταση περί το 1500

III. Επέκταση
- Επιχειρηματικότητα και βία: αποικιοποίηση και παγκόσμιο εμπόριο
- Μετοχική εταιρεία και χρηματοπιστωτικός καπιταλισμός
- Οικονομία των φυτειών και δουλεία
- Αγροτικός καπιταλισμός, εξορυκτικές δραστηριότητες και πρωτο-εκβιομηχάνιση
- Καπιταλισμός, κουλτούρα και Διαφωτισμός: ο Άνταμ Σμιθ και η εποχή του

IV. Ο καπιταλισμός στην εποχή του
- Εκβιομηχάνιση και παγκοσμιοποίηση μετά το 1800: ένα περίγραμμα
- Από τον καπιταλισμό των ιδιοκτητών στον καπιταλισμό των μάνατζερ
- Χρηματιστικοποίηση
- Η μισθωτή εργασία σε μετάβαση
- Αγορά και κράτος

V. Προοπτική

Σημειώσεις
Κατάλογος βιβλιογραφικών αναφορών
Ευρετήριο

Genres: History, Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, German Literature, World History, School

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2013

About the author

Jürgen Kocka is a German historian.

A university professor and former president of the Social Science Research Center Berlin (2001–2007), Kocka is a major figure in the new Social History, especially as represented by the Bielefeld School. He has focused his research on the history of employees in large German and American businesses, and on the history of European bourgeoisie.

Inspired by the methods of Ernest Labrousse, he attempts to analyze social processes of German society from the perspective of modernisation, industrialization, and the creation of modern Europe.

Reviews

[Andres Felipe Contreras Buitrago · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro en general es muy bueno, es un texto de divulgación apto para todos los públicos no se pone con cosas muy específicas o densas, eso da un punto a su favor.

El capítulo 2 y 3, son lo que me parecen los mejores, desde el ámbito histórico muestra los orígenes del capitalismo de una forma muy amena sin centrarse, claro, en Europa.

El capítulo 4, no fue mucho de mi agrado, aborda elementos del capitalismo, pero a veces llega a perderse el hilo conductor de la discusión del autor.

Otros elementos a favor del autor, es que muestra de manera matizada, los aspectos positivos y negativos que ha traído el capitalismo. Expone cosas interesantes que no son muchas veces mostradas como la resistencia al neoliberalismo o la importancia de la intervención estatal en el capitalismo.

En conclusión, un buen libro para toda aquella persona que quiera entender el capitalismo .

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Learned History of Capitalism

Jurgen Kocka offers a balanced but ultimately positive analysis of the economic system that has dominated Western society for the last two centuries. The book is densely written and the reader is confronted with a number of very long sentences, but the reader will find the effort worthwhile. In this book, Kocka displays his mastery on the subject. He discerns the benefits of the various forms of capitalism but also provides an honest critique of the system without hyperbole. I disagree with his vision of capitalism's future yet I can acknowledge that he built a strong argument for his conclusion. In all, a high-quality book.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

La visión del capitalismo puede ser multiangular y tan positiva como negativa. Este libro nos brinda una perspectiva histórica de un sistema que ha estado presente desde hace mucho tiempo en las sociedades, aún aquellas mas represivas

[Nikolay Ivankov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book, really shows things in development. I'm by far not a specialist in economics (therefore this short introduction on my bookshelf). The possible biasedness of a book on such a slippery aspect of the society is reduced to minimum, as it is habitual for German books. For me the historical perspective was the most important thing to look for, but the author's treatise on the modern stage of development was as well satisfactory.

[Ferda Nihat Koksoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Köşe taşlarını oluşturan ustaların yazdıklarının ana hatlarını içeren, kısa, objektif ve yoğun bir kapitalizm tarihi anlatısı.
Kavramı sadece ekonomik değil, kültür-sosyoloji-psikoloji-doğa gibi çok boyutlu bileşenleriyle ele alması; sağladıkları-eksikleri-iyice kötüleşen yanlarıyla kavrama yaklaşması ve aşılmasının sadece insan birliktelikleriyle olabileceğini vurgulaması takdire değer.

[Tobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serviceable short history of capitalism from a political economy, not economics, perspective. Certainly a good introduction, particularly good on transitions from proto-capitalism.

[Nikos Tsentemeidis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον

[syranez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Autor zeigt die Geschichte des Kapitalismus in seinen Entwicklungsstufen auf und führt auch in die Theorien der großen Kapitalismuskritiker (-denker) ein. Freilich sind aufgrund der Kürze des Buches viele Informationen sehr kompakt dargestellt. Somit ist das Buch zwar fordernd bietet aber genug Inhalt und Begriffe um diese selbstständig zu vertiefen.

Empfehlenswert ist das Buch sowohl für Interessierte als auch Kritiker. Ich denke, wie bei allen Dingen, dass man mehr über etwas weiß, wenn man die Geschichte kennt. Insofern halte Ich es für einen guten Einstieg in diese Thematik.

Kapitalismus ist nicht gottgegeben. Kapitalismus ist ein Werkzeug zum Wohle der Menschen. Wie man das Werkzeug einsetzt ist hingegen Aufgabe der (nicht nur staatlichen) Gesellschaft.

[Casey Wellock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read cover to cover in over a year. If you're looking for an introduction to debates surrounding capitalism as well as a skeletal outline of some of its phases, you probably can't do much better. It's not a work of art, but it's extremely handy and compact--only 170 pages of text. The book also has a lengthy bibliography that compiles some of capitalism's greatest hits. The only section where the author, Jürgen Kocka, came in a little hot was the discussion of finance capitalism. He is correctly deeply disturbed by the 2008 financial crisis, but his mistrust of high finance as unembedded from real economic activity verged close to paranoia. That's nitpicking though, excellent book.

[Daniel Lambauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and fast-paced history of capitalism which tries to be fairly objective, extolling virtues and vice of capitalism and pointing out rightly that no alternative has really emerged ... but that capitalism comes in many forms, including non-democratic ones, and the question is how will these develop.

[yugi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Güzel bir kitap. Anlatımı sade ve anlaşılabilir. İktisat ve iktisat tarihi ile ilgilenecekler için iyi bir başlangıç kitabı olabilir. Genel anlamda sadece iktisat için değil genel kültür açısından da baya beğendiğim bir kitap oldu.

[D'Ailleurs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Λίγα λόγια, απλοποιημένα σε βαθμό υπερβολής για το φετίχ που όλοι αγαπάμε να μισούμε ή μισούμε να αγαπάμε.

[Lucas Wenk-Wolff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dette er min andre bok på kapitalismens historie. Til å begynne med trodde jeg at dette skulle være en mer pragmatisk bok på kapitalismen, som ikke er like gjennomsyret av kapitalismen som enestående kilde til ondskap. (Det er jo litt det) Åja, jeg hadde litt rett, boken var mer pragmatisk. Samtidig overrasket den meg veldig. Boken ble skrevet etter finanskapitalismens krise i 2008. Analysen til Kocka er spennende: Kapitalismen mangler bindinger og har blitt selvstendig fenomen, uinteressert i å bidra til samfunnet. Finans kjøper opp velfungerende selskaper, stykker dem opp og selger dem videre som dyre biter, som gresshopper i en åker hopper de så videre til sitt nye offer. Ødeleggelsen av statlige og ikke-statlige selskaper for kortsiktig profitt som tilfresstiller spekulantene har de siste 35(?) ish årene ødelagt de frodigste feltene. (Dette skjedde nå nylig med mediekonsernet Schibsted. Den tidligere eieren sverget på å aldri selge dette selskapet vekk, men rett etter at han døde tok det nye lederskapet og solgte det. Så ble det jo delt i to: en profittabell og en uprofittabel.)

Samtidig kritiserer han, med det rette, bruken av ordet kapitalisme. Dette likte jeg. Det brukes idag kun i en Europeisk ramme, noe som skjuler andre perverse former for kapitalisme, som i Russland, Kina, Taiwan osv ...

Markedet var i imperialismens tidsalder ikke redd for å legitimere vold, dette for å etablere og utvide seg til koloniene. Men vi må ikke glemme at lokale kulturer i disse tidligere koloniene og andre ikke-koloniserte land har sine avarter av kapitalisme. Dette kapitalistiske mangfoldet blir sammenblandet i det vestligvendte kritikkbegrepet Kapitalisme (med stor K). Europa har ikke alltid vært de beste handels'mennene', det minner han godt leseren på.

Det weberianske skillet mellom arbeid og fritid er også i oppløsning de siste 20 årene, våre nyeste kommunikkative strukturer har sørget for å ta knekken på dette skillet. Vi vet ikke helt hva dette betyr for arbeideren helt enda...

Til slutt, og dette overrasket meg, tar han til ordet for en internasjonal måte å organisere arbeiderne på. Vi har økonomiske, millitære og alle andre former for organiseringer på globalt nivå. Det er på tide å ta kampen om å fordele godene på en større plan, for å gi andre mennesker verdige rettigheter. Særlig, og dette understrekes, i 'det globale sør'.

Jeg tar dette som svaret vårt på hva som skal være kapitalismens nye fotlenke: Vi må organisere oss på tvers av landegrensene, om vi har lyst til å få grep på kapitalen som har løsrevet seg alle former for kontroll, hvor staten historisk har vært viktigst.

Oj dette ble fort litt preken av Trotskys Internasjonalen fra den ellers forsiktige kapitalismehistorikeren? Hehe, dette likte jeg.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good for a brief history. Kocka provided some helpful big-picture categories for different kinds of capitalism, as well as a trajectory of changes in the relationship between states and markets. Medieval and early modern capitalists often had close relationships with political powers. But the age of ownership capitalism (beginning in the late 1700s/early 1800s), in which the entrepreneurs owners often managed firms themselves, was an age of generally less government regulation and welfare programs. The global economic crisis of 1873 encouraged more regulation and welfare programs, which was subsequently the world wars and the Great Depression. This was also the age of managerial capitalism, in which firms often became bigger, capitalized through the sale of stock and run by managers. The economic crisis of the 1970s encouraged neoliberal policies of deregulation, which encouraged the growth of financial capitalism. He tentatively suggests that the 2008 crash has led to a new era of market-state relations.

Kocka notes that capitalism has always been embedded in cultures and societies, and that capitalism in practice uses the antecedent structures while also transforming and undermining them. (I realize that his personification of "capitalism" as doing something is not entirely helpful, and needs to be talked about more precisely for informed debates about these kinds of things.) While he credits capitalism with tremendous innovation and prosperity, he also raises the important question of what structures global financial capitalism can be embedded in that will provide the system with some kind of limits: "More radically than ever before, fundamental investment decisions have been detached from the contexts in which they were once embedded. The logic of markets has further emancipated itself from any consideration of noneconomic interests and orientations. Furthermore, decision-making structures have clearly overstepped the boundaries in which individual enterprises operate, the outer edges of which have become more fluid" (123-124).

[Maren]

Read this basically all in one go, because I knew if I put it down I wouldn’t have it in me to pick it back up again. I hate it here.

Read for my Sociology 103 class.

[Katri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turha

[Oliver Eliassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

God bok! Grei å lese, men noen steder ble det litt tørt👍

[Dan Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

a clear and largely objective history. it’s succinctness, yet ability to outline such a complex debates and projections for the future is impressive and makes for an enjoyable read. Provides good food for thought in the necessary adaptations and possibilities of capitalist systems.

[Eugene Kernes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is This An Overview?
What defines capital and capitalism has changed. Capital used to mean money in the process of making more money. Then expanded into any asset that obtains a profit. Capitalism came into being as a criticism of the class society. Capitalism has become a set of aspects which are based on decentralized decision making, commodification, and accumulation. Within capitalism, markets are the form in which people coordinate and distribute resources. Capitalism uses various means to expand, to make investments that have an opportunity for greater future reward. The more global a market is, the more sales opportunities there are.

The philosophers during the Enlightenment era witnesses destructive wars undertaken by governments, which lead them to seek alternative decision making methods. Enlightenment philosophers provided a defense for market capitalism, as it could be used as a civilizing force. The state and market may often be seen in opposition to each other, for they rely on different methods and procedures. But markets and political power cannot be readily separated. Capitalists have used government influence to shape production. To protect their assets, even against competition. The state and market have different functions, but each relies on the other’s function, to function. Capitalism also has inherent problems, such as business cycles. Capitalism values individualism, but too much individualism breaks social ties. Firms under capitalism can behave in inappropriate ways to earn a profit, such as exploit labor. Firm behavior that gave rise to labor movements.

Caveats?
This book contains a diverse global history on the methods of capitalism. Although there is a vast range of history, there is very little content on each historic example and explanation. Most examples serve as proofs of concept rather than build comprehension of the topic. Readers who already know more details about the examples are in a better position to understand the context of the ideas.

Social values change. There are various historical state and market features that have become derided because of the change in values. Although the author sometimes acknowledges that states have used what has become inappropriate methods of production, the author generally highlights capitalisms involvement in the inappropriate methods of production. The negative consequences of capitalism are provided, but not the same aspects and consequences within state operations.

[Henri Tournyol du Clos · Rating 1 out of 5]

A superfluous exercise in pompous vacuousness.

[Stefan Tanasijević · Rating 3 out of 5]

veoma koristan uvodnik u problematiku istorije kapitalizma podeljen u nekoliko kratkih poglavlja. nakon što izloži etimologiju reči/pojma kapitalizam, koka prolazi kroz njegove etape (daje hronologiju), suprostavljajući ga sistemima koji su mi prethodili. na fonu opozicija (radnik - seljak, zelenaš - bankar, itd) koka teži da ukaže na specifičnosti kapitalizma, te način na koji je kapitalizam preoblikovao i prevrednovao mnogo pojmove. knjiga obiluje statističkim podacima, tabelama, a koka se trudi da svoje stavove potkrepi savremenom literaturom. u tom smislu, kokina "kratka istorija kapitalizma" korisna je zato što upućuje na druge teorijske članke, odnosno knjige/studije. takođe, knjigom su ukratko (ali ne i banalno) obuhvaćena stanovišta najznačajnijih "ideologa" kapitalizma (vebera, smita, šumpetea, marksa), međutim, kako knjiga odmiče kraju, pozicija j. koke s jedne strane se sve više približava pozicijama socdemokratije 50ih i 60ih godina. ostajući sljubljen s postfukujamskim tipom diskursa, ispada da koka na poslednjim stranicama mnogo više daje pohvalu soc. demokratiji/državi blagostanja a mnogo manje kritiku kapitalizma

[Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Short History of Capitalism is interestingly enough written in very, very long sentences. That of course makes it rather difficult to read - and by that equally difficult to comprehend.

Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that Kocka knows his stuff. It’s just that his professor style of writing demands huge amounts of concentration (and coffee) if you are to be able to absorb the content of his words.

EXHIBIT A:
“As was demonstrated by a renewal of interventionism in economic policy (e.g., nationalized industries), by growing public spending, but also by initiatives in foreign economic policy that accompanied the implementation of imperialism (protectionist tariffs, subsidies, zones of influence, and colonies established also for economic purposes), and especially by the rise of the welfare state starting in the 1880s, state authorities were now intervening with greater intensity in economy and society, just as, conversely, economic and social interests that had become increasingly organized were now exercising influence on politics and public policy through their lobbies and interest groups.”

[gasping for breath]

This is a re-write, Herr Kocka.

[Huhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein kurzer Abriss der Geschichte des Kapitalismus, von den Wurzeln des Kaufmannskapitalismus' über die Expansion im Rahmen des Kolonialismus hin zum Kapitalismus in der Epoche der Industrialisierung und Globalisierung. Der Blick geht dabei auch über den europäischen Tellerrand hinaus in den asiatischen und arabischen Raum, wenn auch der Fokus deutlich auf der westlichen Welt liegt.

Alles in allem ganz nette Lektüre, die mir der BWLer meines Vertrauens angedeihen ließ. Ich muss zugeben, dass mich das erste Kapitel mit den Definitionen fast verloren hätte, aber dafür ist die historische Umschau umso interessanter. Die Kürze des Buches bedingt natürlich eine allgemein recht verkürzte Darstellung. Nichtsdestotrotz gelingt es dem Autor, viele interessante Überlegungen und Entwicklungen verständlich zu machen, die dann bei Interesse über die angegebene weiterführende Literatur noch vertieft werden könnten.

Der Autor begnügt sich trotz der Kürze nicht mit einem unkritischen Blick, sondern beleuchtet verschiedene Sichtweisen, wobei Überlegungen zu Grenzen des Kapitalismus insbesondere auch am Beispiel der Finanzkrise 2008 viel Platz im hinteren Teil des Buches eingeräumt wird.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I'm looking for: a well-balanced, short, easy-to-read history and introduction to capitalism.
What this is: a well-balanced, short history and introduction to capitalism.

Perhaps its the translation (the historian Jurgen Kocka wrote it in German), but the sentences were excessively long. They sometimes would last a whole page. So, unfortunately, I will not assign this book for my up coming course this Fall.

All that said, I did find Kocka's presentation well-balanced. This is difficult for such a controversial topic. There are good discussion of the broad historical precedents the thriving commerce in Islamic countries around 1000 AD. It features the good from growing commercialization (growing standards of living) as well as the bad (colonialism and slavery). Yet contextualizes the complex causes of both.

[Reko Wenell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction for its short length. Covers the main points without forgetting to plant seeds of doubt about simplistic conclusions into the reader’s head. Isn’t even close to telling the whole story, but equips the reader with a basic understanding to further think about capitalism as a historical phenomenom.

[Static · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acertado en cuanto a la exposición de ideas: un análisis histórico correcto. Muy completo y bien contextualizado, pese a no compartir el proyecto del autor (el capitalismo es imposible de reformar y debe ser destruído), el contenido es de calidad.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adequate and cogent introduction to the subject which can be used for students at a variety of levels.

[Terje · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jeg sliter litt med å vurdere denne, både på faglig og litterært grunnlag. Leseropplevelsen var at boka kjedet meg. 150 sider med tørr oppramsing som var fint lite engasjerende.

[Justin Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book this short on a topic this vast and controversial has no business being so good. Very impressive.

[I_nm_sby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conflates markets—which exist in all societies at all times—with Capitalism, so the book lacks explanatory power.