title: Periodizations of capitalism
text: # Periodizations of capitalism
  
  A periodization of capitalism seeks to distinguish stages of development that help understanding of features of capitalism through time. The best-known periodizations that have been proposed distinguish these stages as:
  
  * Early / monopoly / state monopoly capitalism (Sweezy)
  * Free trade / monopoly / finance capitalism (Hilferding)
  * Early capitalism (primitive accumulation) / colonialism / imperialism (Hobson, Lenin, Bukharin)
  * Extensive stage / intensive stage / late capitalism (Aglietta)
  
  The Marxist periodization of capitalism into the stages: agricultural capitalism, merchant capitalism, industrial capitalism and state capitalism.
  
  Another periodization includes merchant capitalism, industrial and finance capitalism, and global capitalism.
  
  