Essays largely on Studies in the development of capitalism, by M. Dobb.

How did the dynamic economic system we know as capitalism develop among the peasants and lords of feudal Europe? In The Origin of Capitalism, a now-classic work of history, Ellen Meiksins Wood offers readers a clear and accessible introduction to the theories and debates concerning the birth of capitalism, imperialism, and the modern nation state. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the relationship between humans and nature.

Essays largely on Studies in the development of capitalism, by M. Dobb.

How do changes in family form relate to changes in society as a whole? In a work which combines theoretical rigour with historical scope, Wally Seccombe provides a powerful study of the changing structure of families from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Responding to feminist critiques of ‘sex-blind’ historical materialism, Seccombe argues that family forms must be seen to be at the heart of modes of production. He takes issue with the mainstream consensus in family history which argues that capitalism did not fundamentally alter the structure of the nuclear family, and makes a controversial intervention in the long-standing debate over European marriage patterns and their relation to industrialization. Drawing on an astonishing range of studies in family history, historical demography and economic history, A Millennium of Family Change provides an integrated overview of the long transition from feudalism to capitalism, illuminating the far-reaching changes in familial relations from peasant subsistence to the making of the modern working class.

The Debate On The Transition From Feudalism To Capitalism, Originally Published In Science And Society In The Early 1950S, Is One Of The Most Famous Episodes In The Development Of Marxist Historiography Since The War. It Ranged Such Distinguished Contributors As Maurice Dobb, Paul Sweezy, Kohachiro Takahashi And Christopher Hill Against Each Other In A Common, Critical Discussion. The Complete Text Of The Original Debate Was First Published By Verso, To Which Subsequent Discussion Has Returned Again And Again, Together With Significant New Materials Produced By Historians Since Then.What Was The Role Of Trade In The Dark Ages? How Did Feudal Rents Evolve During The Middle Ages? Where Should The Economic Origins Of Mediaeval Towns Be Sought? Why Did Serfdom Eventually Disappear In Western Europe? What Was The Exact Relationship Between City And Countryside In The Transition From Feudalism To Capitalism? How Should The Importance Of Overseas Expansion Be Assessed For The Primitive Accumulation Of Capital In Europe? When Should The First Bourgeois Revolutions Be Dated, And Which Social Classes Participated In Them? All These, And Many Other Vital Questions For Every Student Of Mediaeval And Modern History, Are Widely And Freely Explored.

Carlos Astarita's From Feudalism to Capitalism: Social and Political Change in Castile and Western Europe, 1250–1520 presents for an English-speaking readership a major contribution to the debate on the origins of capitalism.