Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights the fundamental characteristics that, in their interconnectedness, distinguish capitalism from all other social systems. It deals with Marx's own contradictions in regard to the genesis of capitalism. The book discusses Lenin's contribution to Marxist theory concerning preindustrial capitalist economic forms, and presents Karl Kautsky's analysis on the 'agrarian question'. It utilizes the Marxist notion of the mode of production to exploit the critical conclusions in an effort to provide the concept of the historical figure, which Marx describes as the pre-capitalist money-owner. The book analyzes the historically unique class relations of power in the Venetian social formation, which functioned as pre-requisites to her success. It mainly focuses on the economic restructuring and changing geopolitical role of Venice after the spread of capitalism in Western Europe, the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and the consolidation of large European territorial states.