Customer Reviews

Theories of Imperialism

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Mommsen's survey of theories on imperialism was not bad for its time; however, it is now quite dated. Most readers will find it dry, but not terribly difficult to follow. Since this book was published, a substantial volume of work has been done on the topic of imperialism as a form of ecological violence (Mike Davis, Nancy Scheper-Hughes); these are missing from Mommsen's book. Likewise, general views of history in which imperialism plays an important role (e.g., the "world systems theory" of Immanuel Wallerstein) are not brought up, although in 1976 this seems like a more serious omission.

Additionally, I take issue with the summaries of the theories involved. In the case best known to me, that of John A Hobson, the theories involved are far more complex than described by Mommson; it was probably outside the scope of Mommsen's plan for the work to include his own observations of Richard Cobden's behavior in parliament (please see Semmel's *The Rise of Free Trade Imperialism* for a good discussion), since Mommsen doesn't usually arbitrate among rival theories.

Since the omissions are fairly consequential, and the summaries are unsatisfactory, I cannot think of a compelling reason anyone would want this book.