History

The Birth of Capitalism sets a new standard in the ...

(Michael Perelman, author of The Inventio)

The Birth of Capitalism sets a new standard in the study of the transition from feudalism to capitalism. With the care of a surgeon, Heller dissects the divergent body of analysis regarding this contentious subject. He does not shy away from the numerous controversies; instead, always grounding himself in Marx's analysis, he separates the wheat from the chaff in each contribution. A must for anybody interested in the transition debates.

(Michael Perelman, author of The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation)

Heller has already contributed to our understanding the transition from ...

(Neil Davidson)

Heller has already contributed to our understanding the transition from feudalism to capitalism through his outstanding work on French history. His new work provides us with a comprehensive, critical but balanced account from a classical Marxist perspective of the entire debate and its various controversies. Particularly impressive is the way in which he demonstrates that any serious approach to the transition cannot be restricted to discussing economic changes, but has to encompass the totality of social relationships, including, crucially, those embedded in the state.

(Neil Davidson)

While many fantasize about an `Empire´ unified on a planetarylevel, ...

(Domenico Losurdo, University of Urbino, )

While many fantasize about an `Empire´ unified on a planetarylevel, this is a brilliant analysis of the role of national states inthe forming and functioning of capitalism. It is a very usefulbook for those who want to understand the contradictions of today´sworld, and to engage in the struggle for a real project of emancipationwithout losing sight of the growing dangers of war.

(Domenico Losurdo, University of Urbino, )