Throughout history, we can see countless hegemonic powers rise and fall.
From ancient Athens and Rome in the West to modern Britain and the United States, and from ancient Qin and Han in the East to modern Japan and China, the process is also colorful and splendid.
One cannot help but wonder how they achieved and lost their hegemonic status. (p. 13)

The writing of this book stemmed from questions about the conditions that determined the rise and fall of the numerous civilizations that have graced human history and the nations that led those civilizations.
In other words, it can be summarized as a question about the secret of hegemony that made hegemony possible. (p. 13)

Although not a representative agricultural empire, this study examines the major hegemonic powers located on the critical path of human civilization's development and evolution, including Spain's agricultural society, which was closely connected to commercial society, and the expanded reinvestment system of commercial society and the expanded reproduction system of industrial society. (p. 30)

How can we define the Industrial Revolution? Based on the discussion so far, the Industrial Revolution refers to a rapid socioeconomic transformation driven by innovations in production technology, which shifts the primary commodity trade to manufactured goods and transforms the economic structure into an expanded reproduction system of industrial society. (p. 61)

Although the Spanish Empire was a maritime empire, it was thoroughly dominated by the logic of an agricultural economy.
The rise and fall of the Spanish Empire vividly illustrates the tragic fate that empires bound by past principles, even in the face of changing circumstances, are forced to endure. (p. 123)

From the mid-17th century to the early 19th century, when mercantilist competition began to intensify, several conditions had to be met for a country to achieve economic hegemony not only in Europe but also globally.
Like the Netherlands, England pursued a commercial society, but unlike the Netherlands, it simultaneously developed commercialization and manufacturing, and developed an institutional framework that reflected the commercial interests of the British people in policy.
Based on this, they were able to secure the financial foundation and military power to protect and promote their interests from military and diplomatic threats and commercial challenges from rival countries. (pp. 210-211)

---From the text