Good books on pre-capitalist history with proper class analysis? : asklemmygrad

[–] MF_COOM@hexbear.net 20 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Silvia Fererici's Caliban and the Witch is basically a people's history of western European feudalism and is an awesome read, a pretty rich text.

Walter Rodney's How Europe Underdeveloped Africa covers a lot of the transition specifically of Africa, but is maybe less fun to read.

I haven't read it, but heard 1491 is a great source for Turtle Island.

[–] muad_dibber@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 2 months ago

Was just gonna mention caliban and the witch, it's an excellent resource for feudal-era class analysis.

[–] pierre_delecto@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 months ago

1491 is an excellent read, I highly recommend

[–] CriticalResist8@lemmygrad.ml 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The USSR had a political economy textbook that devotes the first chapter to pre-capitalist economies https://www.marxists.org/subject/economy/authors/pe/

[–] pierre_delecto@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 months ago

If you are like me and want this in an ebook format here is:

epub
mobi

[–] sovecon@lemmygrad.ml 14 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

How the World Works by Paul Cockshott. you can use the bibliography as a reading list as well.

[–] muad_dibber@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 2 months ago

Some that I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Galeano - open veins of latin america
clr james - the black jacobins

Hobsbawm is also known for his Marxist history tomes, but I haven't finished any of those yet.

[+] ChicagoCommunist@hexbear.net 9 points 2 months ago (2 children)

[deleted]

[–] SadArtemis@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

On my phone so I won't search the specific vids, but I believe Michael Hudson would be a good source for 0-1500 AD (and even back to the days of ancient Sumeria).

Here's a link to an article of his on the subject, anyways. https://michael-hudson.com/2018/04/palatial-credit-origins-of-money-and-interest/

I've watched a few of his talks on the history of economics, and in particular on the history of debt (and the jubilee/debt forgiveness systems which had been found across the world, to which the Romans, Greeks, and then the inherited systems of debt in Europe were a notable exception).

From his website alone, it seems like he has many books on the subject (as well as more contemporary ones). I've not read them but imagine they cover topics he's spoken of in his many interviews I've watched:

https://michael-hudson.com/books/

[–] OrnluWolfjarl@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Soviet school textbook on the ancient world. It pretty much covers everything, and it's packed with information and short analysis, but doesn't go into too much detail or into specific events.

[–] deathtoreddit@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I mean, there is the "The assassination of Julius Caesar : a people's history of Ancient Rome" by Michael Parenti

[–] bennieandthez@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 2 months ago

Not completely throughout but decent book on the development of industry in the US -> "Behemoth, by joshua freeman"

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