by Sven Beckert
First published 2015
Cotton dominated world manufacturing for nine centuries, from 1000 to 1900, shaping economies, politics, and societies across continents. Sven Beckert examines how this single crop became the driving force behind global trade networks, industrial development, and economic power structures. The scale remains staggering today. Cotton bales produced in 2013 alone would create a tower reaching 40,000 miles into space if stacked together. Beckert reveals how cotton cultivation and trade influenced the rise and fall of empires, fueled colonialism, and connected distant regions through complex webs of production and commerce. His analysis demonstrates how one commodity could dictate international relations and transform entire civilizations. The book provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of how global economic systems develop and how seemingly simple products can reshape human history.
Genres: 20th-century, business, economics, agriculture, 21st-century, 19th-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: comprehensive-analysis, historical-non-fiction
Setting: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America
Period: 1000-1900
640 pages · Paperback · Penguin