As capitalism developed, rich and powerful nations rushed to plunder and carve up the world into markets, colonies, and spheres of influence. In the process, they subjected countless billions to war, enslavement and misery that continues to this day.

Lenin wrote the defining work on the subject, explaining that imperialism represents the highest stage of capitalist development, with the rise of monopolies, finance capital, and the export of capital as defining features.

With a special focus on the rise and relative of decline of US imperialism, John Peterson, a leading communist from the USA, explains these and other features of imperialism – and how it can be dismantled through revolutionary struggle.