ABSTRACT
Although not originally a Marxist concept, imperialism is today generally linked to Marxist interpretations of the international expansion of capitalism. That linkage owes much to V. I. Lenin's Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism, in which Lenin analyzed the First World War in light of monopoly tendencies in capitalism, and state intervention on behalf of capitalist interests. Whether a theory of imperialism has yet been rigorously linked to Marxist theoretical foundations is a question that has been under intense debate in recent decades.
Paul Sweezy provides an introduction to the concept of imperialism and defines it in light of both the modern corporation and the role of the state in global capitalism. Based on a lecture by Sweezy at Stanford University, this article appeared originally in Monthly Review, the journal that he edits.
