这本书以棉花为线索，讲述了资本主义全球化的历史。贝克特教授提出一个大胆观点：现代资本主义的起源和扩张与棉花产业密不可分，甚至可以说，棉花资本主义是现代资本主义的雏形。

Using cotton as a thread, this book tells the history of capitalist globalization. Professor Beckert proposes a bold argument: The origins and expansion of modern capitalism are inseparable from the cotton industry, indeed, cotton capitalism was the prototype of modern capitalism.

传统的工业革命故事通常聚焦于英国的技术发明家和工厂主，但贝克特将我们的视线扩展到全球范围：

Traditional Industrial Revolution stories typically focus on British inventors and factory owners, but Beckert expands our view to a global scale:

• 印度的棉纺织工人如何失去他们的市场？
• 非洲的奴隶如何被强迫在美洲种植棉花？
• 美洲的原住民如何失去他们的土地？
• 英国兰开夏郡的童工如何在危险的工厂里工作？
• Indian cotton textile workers – how did they lose their markets?
• African slaves – how were they forced to grow cotton in America?
• Native Americans – how did they lose their lands?
• Child laborers in Lancashire, England – how did they work in dangerous factories?

贝克特将资本主义棉花经济的发展分为两个关键阶段：

Beckert divides the development of capitalist cotton economy into two crucial stages:

战争资本主义 (16世纪-18世纪末)

War Capitalism (16th Century – Late 18th Century)

这不是我们想象中的自由市场，而是通过暴力、殖民扩张、土地掠夺和奴隶贸易建立起来的系统：

This was not the free market we imagine, but a system built through violence, colonial expansion, land seizure, and slave trade:

• 欧洲商人用武力控制全球棉花原料产地
• 非洲数百万人被绑架、贩卖到美洲成为奴隶
• 美洲原住民被驱逐，土地被改为棉花种植园
• 欧洲国家海军保护商船，打开全球市场
• European merchants used force to control global cotton raw material sources
• Millions of Africans were kidnapped and sold into slavery in America
• Native Americans were expelled, their lands converted to cotton plantations
• European navies protected merchant ships, opening global markets

工业资本主义 (19世纪以后)

Industrial Capitalism (After 19th Century)

以棉纺织业机械化为开端，形成了我们熟悉的工厂制度。但贝克特强调：工业资本主义建立在战争资本主义通过暴力建立的全球网络之上。

Beginning with the mechanization of cotton textile industry, it formed the factory system we know. But Beckert emphasizes: Industrial capitalism was built upon the global network established through violence by war capitalism.

英国工厂需要大量棉花原料，而美国南方的奴隶种植园正好满足这一需求。当奴隶制废除后，资本家又找到了新的强迫劳动形式，如佃农制。

British factories needed massive cotton raw materials, and American Southern slave plantations exactly met this demand. After slavery was abolished, capitalists found new forms of forced labor, such as sharecropping.

这本书真正做到了全球史视野，连接了世界各大洲：

This book truly achieves a global historical perspective, connecting continents worldwide:

这种全球分工导致了今天世界南北差距的雏形：

This global division of labor led to the prototype of today’s North-South divide:

• 全球南方（美洲、非洲、印度）被迫成为原料供应地和市场
• 欧洲（尤其是英国）则成为工业制造和资本中心
• Global South (America, Africa, India) was forced to become raw material suppliers and markets
• Europe (especially Britain) became industrial manufacturing and capital centers

《棉花帝国》挑战了许多我们对资本主义的传统理解：

Empire of Cotton challenges many of our traditional understandings of capitalism:

1. 资本主义与暴力的共生

1. Capitalism’s Symbiosis with Violence

现代资本主义并非诞生于和平的自由市场，而是与帝国主义、殖民主义和奴隶制紧密相连。暴力是资本积累的重要手段。

Modern capitalism was not born in peaceful free markets, but was closely linked with imperialism, colonialism, and slavery. Violence was a crucial means of capital accumulation.

2. 国家权力的关键作用

2. The Crucial Role of State Power

国家通过法律、军事和外交手段为资本家服务：

States served capitalists through legal, military, and diplomatic means:

• 废除印度棉布关税以保护英国产业
• 用武力打开埃及、中国等市场（如鸦片战争）
• 通过法律保护奴隶主对奴隶的”财产权”
• Abolished Indian cotton tariffs to protect British industry
• Used force to open markets in Egypt, China, etc. (like the Opium Wars)
• Protected slave owners’ “property rights” over slaves through laws

3. 资本主义的适应性

3. Capitalism’s Adaptability

当奴隶制在法律上被废除后，资本主义迅速找到了新的强制劳动形式：

When slavery was legally abolished, capitalism quickly found new forms of forced labor:

• 美国南方的佃农制（实际上的债务奴隶）
• 殖民地的税收压迫（强迫农民种植经济作物）
• 工厂中的低工资和恶劣工作条件
• Sharecropping in American South (de facto debt slavery)
• Tax oppression in colonies (forcing farmers to grow cash crops)
• Low wages and poor working conditions in factories

棉花帝国的历史仍然影响着我们今天的世界：

The history of the Cotton Empire still influences our world today:

理解全球化根源

Understanding Globalization’s Roots

今天的全球供应链和不平等贸易格局，其历史根源可以追溯到棉花帝国时代。全球南方的许多国家仍然主要出口原材料，而北方国家则出口高附加值产品。

Today’s global supply chains and unequal trade patterns have historical roots in the Cotton Empire era. Many Global South countries still primarily export raw materials, while Northern countries export high-value-added products.

种族歧视的历史根源

Historical Roots of Racism

为奴隶制辩护的种族主义意识形态，至今仍然影响着社会。理解这段历史有助于我们认识系统性种族歧视的根源。

Racist ideologies that justified slavery still influence society today. Understanding this history helps us recognize the roots of systemic racism.

环境破坏的代价

Cost of Environmental Destruction

棉花种植消耗大量水资源，使用农药和化肥，这些环境问题在殖民时期就已经开始，当时为了单一经济作物而破坏了原有的生态系统。

Cotton cultivation consumes vast water resources and uses pesticides and fertilizers. These environmental problems began during colonial times when original ecosystems were destroyed for monoculture cash crops.

劳工权利的斗争

Labor Rights Struggles

从棉花工厂的童工到今天的服装厂工人，劳动者争取安全环境和合理工资的斗争仍在继续。了解这段历史让我们更理解劳工运动的重要性。

From child laborers in cotton factories to today’s garment workers, the struggle for safe environments and fair wages continues. Understanding this history helps us appreciate the importance of labor movements.

思考问题：

Reflection Questions:

1. 为什么贝克特认为理解棉花的历史对理解现代资本主义如此重要？
2. “战争资本主义”和”工业资本主义”的主要区别是什么？它们之间有什么联系？
3. 棉花帝国如何塑造了今天全球不平等的地理格局？
4. 作为一名青少年消费者，了解这段历史后，你会如何思考自己购买的服装？
5. 你能在今天的世界中找到”棉花帝国”的遗产吗？举例说明。
6. Why does Beckert believe understanding cotton history is crucial for understanding modern capitalism?
7. What are the main differences between “war capitalism” and “industrial capitalism”? How are they connected?
8. How did the Cotton Empire shape today’s geography of global inequality?
9. As a teenage consumer, how would you think about the clothes you buy after learning this history?
10. Can you find the legacy of the “Cotton Empire” in today’s world? Give examples.

推荐延伸阅读：

Recommended Further Reading:

• 《大分流》 – 彭慕兰：比较欧洲和中国的发展路径
• 《现代世界体系》 – 沃勒斯坦：从世界体系视角看资本主义
• 《甜与权力》 – 西敏司：关于蔗糖如何改变世界的历史
• The Great Divergence – Kenneth Pomeranz: Compares European and Chinese development paths
• The Modern World-System – Immanuel Wallerstein: Views capitalism from world-system perspective
• Sweetness and Power – Sidney Mintz: History of how sugar changed the world