Abstract

A hegemonic nation is one that earns income without having to do anything.

Many countries have to use the system formed by hegemonic states. In order to participate in international economic activities, those nations must pay a commission. That system has been in place since the beginning of time.

That system took definite shape with the formation of capitalism. The Dutch in the early modern period made it clear, and the British in the modern period perfected it. American hegemony is a variant of the British one.

On the other hand, China is trying to form a different kind of hegemony through its Belt and Road Initiative. However, it is a policy aimed at becoming the center of "logistics" in the world. It has not been able to create a mechanism for "automatic" profit, and China, as a hegemonic power, may not be possible to establish it. But after the Russo-Ukrainian War, forming the "Eurasian Union of Hegemonic States" with Russia may change that conclusion.

In this book, the author reconsiders world history from the framework of commissions and capitalism. He then discusses the conditions for the formation of a hegemonic state.

（Information is current at the time of publishing.）

Author’s Information

Toshiaki Tamaki

Toshiaki Tamaki is a professor at the Faculty of Economics, Kyoto Sangyo University. He specializes in modern European economic history. Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1964, he graduated from the Graduate School of Doshisha University with a Master of Arts (Cultural History) and received his Ph.D. in Literature from Osaka University.
He is the author of "History of European Hegemony" and "Europe: A History of Prosperity in the 19th Century" (Chikuma Shinsho), "The Birth of Modern Europe" and "The Rise and Fall of the Maritime Empire" (Kodansha Sensho Metier), "The Rise and Fall of the 'Information' Empire" (Kodansha Gendai Shinsho), "The Making of Modern Europe" (Sogensha), "Diamond: A Global History of Desire" (Nikkei Publishing Inc.) and many others. His translations include Jacob Assa's "The Financialization of GDP" (Chisen Shokan).