Forgotten classics: J. A. Schumpeter’s theory of imperialism

The paper analyses the littleknown essay of one of the classics of economic thought, J. A. Schumpeter (1883—1950), “The sociology of imperialisms,” where he appears not as an economic theorist, but as an economic sociologist. Schumpeter was interested in the problem of imperialism almost throughout his scientific career. His theory was polemically directed against various Marxist interpretations, in which imperialism was viewed as a product of late (“monopolistic”) capitalism and which he subjected to sharp criticism. Schumpeter defined imperialism as objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion, finding examples of it throughout history from Ancient Egypt to the present day. Unlike Marxist authors, he saw capitalism not as a source, but, on thecontrary, as an antipode of imperialism. His key idea was that imperialism was an atavism that is rooted in social structures and psychological attitudes inherited by the modern world from the precapitalist era. According to his forecast, in the course of the further capitalistic development, these relics of the past will be eliminated and imperialism will disappear along with them. Many ideas expressed by Schumpeter in his essay are still of considerable interest.