Is the World-System Approach Just a Global Perspective? The Connection Between Global and Regional Developments in Pre-Industrial France

Abstract

France is the only state who always belonged to the core of the world-system and never attained hegemony, nor declined into the semi-periphery. This paper focuses on the reasons for this relatively stable position in the pre-industrial world-system. Crucial is France's size and fragmented regional structure. These constraints prevented France from building on its favorable position at the inception of the world-system. France's development within the world-system was further retarded by the shift in the center of gravity and mode of transportation of the world-system. This interplay between general processes, at the level of the entire world-system, and the specific regional structure within France, demonstrates how the general processes of the world-system can be linked to the specific situation in a given country.