This introductory chapter explores the proliferation of the term ‘crisis’ in public discourse amidst escalating social, economic, and ecological turmoil. While crisis is often discussed in relation to event-based cycles of political drama and economic turbulence, the chapter proposes an alternative understanding. It draws on literature in political economy, surveying the major traditions of crisis theory from Austrian to Marxist and Keynesian understandings. Turning to more recent developments, it discusses constructivism and historical materialism, grounding the framework of the volume in a structural approach that seeks to understand the underlying conditions and social conflicts driving crises in capitalist development. The chapter then poses a series of questions in relation to crisis discussed throughout the volume. It concludes by outlining the structure and scope of the volume, including its focus on capitalism’s major historical crises, followed by contemporary crises animating global politics today.