Course info

 Upon completion of this course students should be able to articulate the main tendencies in the history of capitalism in Europe, North America and Japan and their global impacts. Such achievement should in turn enable them to better understand the nature, workings, and consequences of the evolving capitalist relations in present day Africa and Tanzania in particular.

Methods of Instructions

A maximum of thirty (30) lecture hours will be delivered per semester on the basis of at least two lecture hours per week. Also the lectures will be accompanied by fifteen (15) hours of seminars for the whole semester. During seminar sessions, students will discuss and make a brief presentation on the assigned topics under the guidance of course instructors.

Course Assessment

Course work shall have a total of 40 marks with the following marks distribution:

Test 1 carries 15 marks and will be written on the sixth week of the semester

Test 2 carries 15 marks and will be written on the 10^th week of the semester

Seminar carries 10 marks distributed as follows: written paper 5 marks, attendance 2 marks and participation 3 marks.

Final University examination at the end of the Semester carries 60 marks

Course Contents / Topics

1.  Transition from feudalism to capitalism in Europe

1.1  Meaning of European feudalism

1.2  The structure and organisation of feudal society.

1.3  The dynamism of feudalism.

1.4  From instability to crisis in the feudal economy.

1.5  Expansionism under feudalism.

1.6  The debate on the transition.

Readings

Beaud, Michel (1981). A History of Capitalism, 1500 – 1980. London: Macmillan Press

Henry, Heller (2011). The Birth of Capitalism: A Twenty First Century Perspective. London: Pluto Press

Hilton, Rodney (Ed.) (1978). The Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism, London: The Gresham Press.

Pelz, William (2016). A Peoples History of Modern Europe. London: Pluto Press

2.  Mercantilism

2.1  Definition of mercantilism

2.2  The rise of Mercantilism

2.3  Production under mercantilism

2.4  Expansionism in the mercantilist era and especially the expansion of Europe and creation of one world

Readings

Beaud, Michel (1981). A History of Capitalism, 1500 – 1980. London: Macmillan Press

Sinha, Arvind (2010). Europe in Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers and Distributors. Pp. 567- 595

3.   Competitive Capitalism

3.1  Definition of competitive capitalism

3.2  The process of primitive accumulation of capital

3.3  Scientific innovations and the transport revolution

3.4  From the cottage to the mill: The Industrial revolution in Britain

3.5  Industrialisation in Western Europe (other than Britain), America and Japan

3.6  Expansionism under competitive capitalism

Readings

Beaud, Michel (1981). A History of Capitalism, 1500 – 1980. London: Macmillan Press

Henry, Heller (2011). The Birth of Capitalism: A Twenty First Century Perspective. London: Pluto Press

Rondo, Cameron. A new view of European Industrialization. The Economic History Review, Feb. 1985. New Series. Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 1-23

4. The Rise of the Working Class in Britain, France and Germany

4.1   The process of proletarianisation: Enclosures

4.2  The factory and the worker

4.3  Luddism, Chartism and early trade unionism

4.4  Development of socialist ideas: France and England

4.5  The rise of Marxism

Readings

Henry, Heller (2011). The Birth of Capitalism: A Twenty First Century Perspective. London: Pluto Press

Thomson, E. P. (1963). The Making of the English Working Class. London: Vintage Books

Jeff Horn. Machine-Breaking in England and France during the Age of Revolution. Labour / Le Travail, Spring, 2005, Vol. 55 (Spring, 2005), pp. 143-166. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25149563

5. Monopoly Capitalism

5.1  Definition and characteristics of monopoly capitalism

5.2  The rise of monopolies and finance capital; Britain, France, German and the U.S.A

5.3  Relationship with the periphery

5.4  The second industrial revolution

5.5  Rise of the USA and decline of Britain

Readings

Beaud, Michel (1981). A History of Capitalism, 1500 – 1980. London: Macmillan Press

Amin, Samir (1977). Imperialism and Unequal Development. Hassocks: Harvester Press

Kemp, Tom (2013). Industrialization in nineteenth- century Europe. New York: Routledge

Lenin, V.I. (1970), Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism. Moscow: Progress Publishers.

6. Crisis of contemporary Capitalism

6.1  Character of contemporary capitalism

6.2  Capitalist crisis since 1973

6.3  Imperialism and Globalisation

Readings

Beaud, Michel (1981). A History of Capitalism, 1500 – 1980. London: Macmillan Press

Henry Veltmeyer (2005). Development and Globalization as Imperialism, Canadian Journal of Development Studies/ Revue canadienne d’etudes du developpement, 26: 1, 89-106

Rugumamu, S. (2005), Globalisation Demystified. Dar-es-Salaam: DUP.

-To understand the emergence and development of capitalism in Europe, America and Japan.

To examine the social and economic dynamics leading to the various transformations in the nature and functioning of capitalist society

- To understand the capitalist socio- economic and political relationships of domination and hegemony of the capitalist society focusing on transformation in the nature and functioning of the capitalist society.

-To analyse imperialism and its consequences in the world at large and African in particular.

- To relate the current global crisis and development to the emergence of capitalism.