Until the modern era there was no single international system, but rather several international systems, with little or no contact with another. - Robert Gilpin

One reason for the primacy of the market in shaping the modern world is that it forces a reorganization of society in order to make the market work properly . When a market comes into existence, as Marx fully appreciated, it becomes a potent force driving social change.

Japanese refer to Europe as a "museum" and America as a "farm."

A precondition for political change lies in the disjuncture between the existing social system and the redistribution of power toward those actors who would benefit most from a change in the system.