Paul Kramer

Paul Kramer, Vanderbilt historian of U.S. imperial history, and Sven Beckert, Harvard historian of global capitalism and cotton, discuss capitalism’s global origins. They trace long historical roots, the central role of states and money, and how coercion and violence have shaped markets. They focus on the late 19th-century turning point and why a global lens reshapes our view of capitalism.

Sven Beckert, Harvard historian of global capitalism, and Paul Kramer, Vanderbilt historian of empire and labor, discuss capitalism’s long global roots. They chart key ruptures, the state’s role in money and markets, the late-19th-century turning point, and how coercion and resistance shape capitalist development.

Paul Kramer, Vanderbilt historian and author of The Blood of Government, and Sven Beckert, Harvard historian of capitalism and author of Capitalism: A Global History, debate capitalism’s global origins. They trace long processes and key institutional ruptures, probe the state’s role in money and markets, and confront how violence and coercion shaped capitalist expansion. The late 19th century’s turning point and the making of a global narrative get special attention.