World system is an approach that emphasizes the need to consider the world as one structure where everything that happens is closely related with one another (Wallerstein 1). The world system has developed over the centuries to maturity. It can be traced back to around 1500. It started in the Western Europe where the prolonged crisis of feudism paved the way for the technological advancements (Wallerstein 3).
This saw increased production that the Europeans wanted to explore other parts of the world. During the 16th century, there was division of labor for the core countries and peripheral areas. This triggered a sense of inequality because all countries expected that they would have developed equally. Some regions promoted the capitalist spirit where the world would no longer have national leaders or territories.
During the 20th century, the world system was at its peak with the capitalist markets had spread throughout the world (Wallerstein 13). It thrived well the American hegemony when US had a lot influence on people. This influence, however, reduced significantly at the end of the Cold War. With pressure from the communist countries, the world system did remain.
Works cited
Wallerstein, Immanuel M. World-systems analysis: an introduction. Duke University, 2004: 1-13.