The world-famous American scientist Immanuel Wallerstein is the founding father of world-system analysis, the author of the three-volume book “The Modern World-System”, a number of other books and a huge number of articles. Director of the Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Civilizations and Historical Systems (Binghamton, New York, USA) concisely outlines his views on the capitalist system. I. Wallerstein analyzes the economic functioning of the capitalist system, the role of the state in the accumulation of capital, the role of scientific culture as a powerful social weapon of the “powers that be.” Particular attention is paid to various myths of the capitalist system (about progress, meritocracy, etc.), the mechanism of action of the ideological tandem “racism - universalism” is shown. I. Wallerstein, in addition, offers a “balance sheet” of the achievements and failures of capitalist civilization, as well as an analysis of those internal dilemmas that historical capitalism is not able to solve and which have already brought it to the edge of the abyss. The book is intended not only for specialists, but also for a wide range of readers interested in sociology, economics, politics, in short - the fate of the modern world.