States, War and Capitalism

by Michael Mann

Published 23 June 1988
These essays examine the close interrelationship between states (mostly modern states), war and the economy (mostly capitalist economies) and demonstrate how an overall theory of any of them must involve consideration of them all. Social theory has concentrated on the relations of capitalism, social classes and the state within the individual nation-state, either neglecting international relations, militarism and war or seeking to explain them largely in terms of capitalism and class structure. These studies provide a necessary corrective to such biases and offer a fresh agenda for historical sociology. The author has also written "Sources of Social Power".