Perry Anderson was well known for his writings on the modern state, while Benedict was celebrated for his writings on nationalism. Furthermore Anderson believed history should be useful for activists in his own time. For Anderson, left intellectuals could provide a better understanding of the historical origins of the contemporary capitalist world. Anderson sought to arm socialists with a necessary history of the modern capitalist state, born in Western Europe, that ultimately conquered the world. Although its configuration differed from that of modern international capitalism, feudalism would eventually give way to the latter.