Longer version here:
Immanuel Wallerstein argues that capitalism is not something that happens inside individual countries. Instead, capitalism operates as a single global system—the world-system—that has existed since roughly the 16th century. ⭐
Countries do not develop independently or move through neat “stages” (feudal → capitalist → socialist). Rather, they are born into an already-existing global economic structure that assigns them roles and constrains what they can realistically become. ⭐
His central claim is radical but simple:
To understand inequality, development, democracy, or socialism, you must analyze the world-system, not individual nations.
Wallerstein fundamentally reframes how we analyze: