Monopolies and Underdevelopment

Calixto Salomão Filho, Professor of Law, University of São Paulo Law School, São Paulo, Brazil and Professor, the Institut d’études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), France

‘This extraordinary book proposes a new theory of colonization and of its economic effects in leading to continued underdevelopment of formerly colonized countries. It brilliantly attributes those effects to a simple source: colonial monopolization that systematically affected consumers, labor, and related industries, creating a structure of domination that continues today. The book is comparable to Thomas Piketty’s best-selling Capital in the 21st Century, but substantially goes beyond and is deeper than Piketty because it explains the economic and structural forces leading to increasing inequality. The book also shows that these same forces are affecting modern economies which will inhibit development into the future. It should be read by all interested in the economic and social effects of colonialism as well as by all interested in the economic future of the world.’

• Contents: Introduction: From Colonial Past to Global Reality Part I The “March of Acceptance”: Economic Power in the History of Ideas 1. The Philosophical View 2. The Economic View 3. The Legal View Part II Monopolies and the History of Capitalism 1. Colonial Monopoly and Underdevelopment 2. Industrialization and Continuity of Monopolistic Structures 3. Internationalization of Economic Relations and the Internationalization of Monopolies Part III - Conclusion: The End or Beginning of History? Index