Richard Lachmann offers new answers to the old question of how England became the first nation to undergo the transition from feudalism to capitalism. Lachmann identifies conflicts among elites within the feudal ruling class- rather than conflicts between classes - as the primary dynamic within the feudal system that accounted for the timing and direction of structural change. His original research and analysis should be of interest to sociologists, political scientists, historians, and others concerned with English history, peasant studies, and economic history.