This quote is a central theme in Bill Warren's work, particularly in his book Imperialism: Pioneer of Capitalism (published posthumously in 1980). Warren, a Marxist, critiqued dependency theory and argued against the idea that imperialism solely created underdevelopment. He contended that capitalism, historically, played a progressive role by introducing capitalist social relations and development potential, and that the failure of true capitalist development and exploitation in the periphery was the reason for continued underdevelopment, rather than excessive exploitation by advanced capitalist nations.