In this original & provocative book Ellen Meiksins Wood reminds us that capitalism is not a natural & inevitable consequence of human nature nor is it simply an extension of age-old practices of trade & commerce Rather it is a late & localized product of very specific historical conditions which required great transformations in social relations & in the human interaction with nature This new edition is substantially revised & expanded with extensive new material on imperialism anti-Eurocentric history capitalism & the nation-state & the differences between capitalism & non-capitalist commerce The author traces links between the origin of capitalism & contemporary conditions such as 'globalization' ecological degradation & the current agricultural crisis