Marxist theories of imperialism: evolution of a concept
By Murray Noonan, BA (Hons)
Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
School of Communication and the Arts
Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development
Victoria University, Australia
2010

http://vuir.vu.edu.au/16067/1/Murray_Noonan_PhD.pdf

ABSTRACT
Over the course of the twentieth century and into the new millennium, critical
analysis of imperialism has been a feature of Marxist thought. One of the salient
concerns of Marxist theorising of imperialism has been the uncovering of the
connections between the capitalist accumulation process and the political and
economic domination of the world by advanced capitalist countries. The
conceptualising and theorising of imperialism by Marxists has evolved in response to
developments in the global capitalist economy and in international politics.
For its methodological framework, this thesis employs conceptual and generational
typologies, which I term the ‘generational typology of Marxist theories of
imperialism’. This methodological approach is used to assess the concept of
imperialism as sets of ideas with specific concerns within three distinct phases.
The first phase, starting in 1902 with Hobson and finishing in 1917 with Lenin’s
pamphlet, covers who I call the ‘pioneers of imperialism theory’. They identified
changes to capitalism, where monopolies, financiers and finance capital and the
export of capital had become prominent. The second phase of imperialism theory, the
neo-Marxist phase, started with Sweezy in 1942. Neo-Marxist imperialism theory
had its peak of influence in the late 1960s to early 1980s, declining in influence
since. Writers in this cohort focussed on the lack of development of the peripheral
countries. The third or what I call the ‘globalisation-era’ Marxist phase of
imperialism theory started with Hardt’s and Negri’s Empire in 2000. Globalisation
and the hegemony of the United States fundamentally challenged the ‘globalisationera’ Marxists, some of whom have responded by clarifying and criticising problems
associated with the theories of the ‘pioneers’.
The phases of the ‘pioneers’ and neo-Marxists have been identified in previous critical
surveys of Marxist imperialism theory. In identifying the third phase, this thesis makes
a significant contribution to the literature. Despite a ‘renaissance’ in Marxist
imperialism theory over the past decade, there has not been a critical study of Marxist
imperialism theory published since 1991. This thesis covers the gap in the literature
and argues that the ‘renaissance’ brought about by the ‘globalisation-era’ Marxists has
enabled a clearer definition of imperialism to emerge. Moreover, the basis now exists
for richer, more sophisticated theorising of contemporary imperialism.