Abstract
In this chapter, we describe the theoretical framework of the book. It is described how several classical economists saw colonies as a possible vent for surplus capital in Europe. Marxists later came to focus primarily upon what has been called ‘super-profits’, that supposedly could be earned from investing in colonies. More recent scholarship has primarily viewed imperialism and colonialism as driven by various special economic interests. According to yet another line of thought, colonialism could have reduced the risk of investing in colonies.
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Rönnbäck, K., Broberg, O. (2019). Capital and Colonialism in Theory. In: Capital and Colonialism. Palgrave Studies in Economic History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19711-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19711-7_3
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