Now that Soviet style socialism has collapsed upon itself and liberal capitalism offers itself as the natural, necessary and absolute condition of human social life on a worldwide scale, this book insists that the potentially emancipatory resources of a renewed, and perhaps reconstructed, historical materialism are more relevant in today's world than ever before. Rather than viewing global capitalism as an eluctable natural force, these essays seek to show how a dialectic of power and resistance is at work in the contemporary global political economy, producing and contesting new realities and creating conditions in which new forms of collective self determination become thinkable and materially possible. It will be vital, topical reading for anyone interested in international relations, international political economy, sociology and political theory.

Now that soviet style socialism has collapsed upon itself and liberal capitalism offers itself as the natural, necessary and absolute condition of human social life on a world-wide scale, this book insists that the potentially emancipatory resources of a renewed, and perhaps reconstructed, historical materialism are more relevant in today's world than ever before. Rather than viewing global capitalism as an eluctable natural force, these essays seek to show how a dialectic of power and resistance is at work in the contemporary global political economy, producing and contesting new realities, and creating conditions in which new forms of collective self determination become thinkable and materially possible. It will be vital, topical reading for anyone interested in international relations, international political economy, sociology and political theory.

This book examines the key debates surrounding globalization; providing a introductory yet controversial look at North American politics and current developments within the global political economy. Subjects covered include:
the history of globalization in the post-war period
opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), the General Agreement on Trade & Tariffs (GATT) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)
nationalist responses from 'Militia' groups and others on the extreme right
the populist backlash against globalization
recent moves by advocates of the free market to present 'globalization with a human face'.

Mark Rupert traces the relationship between American global power and the rise of mass production. The United States was propelled to the apex of the global division of labor, ensuring victory in World War II and enabling postwar reconstruction under American leadership. Through a study of Ford Motor Company between 1914 and 1952, he examines the political and ideological struggles through which industrial labor was incorporated into the coalition of statesmen and capitalists that constructed the postwar world order.