Capitalism has proved itself to be the most enduring economic system of our time. This book explores whether capitalism will destroy us or liberate us. Looks at the approaches to and debates about capitalism as both an abstract idea and as a historical processPresents the arguments of some of the leading proponents of capitalism and some of its leading opponents, giving students the opportunity to draw their own conclusionsAnalyses how specific forms of specific forms of national capitalism after 1945 addressed the problems evident in inter-war capitalismExamines the global spread and perception of capitalism since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and This Is A Guide To Thinking About Capitalism, Both As An Ideology And As An Economic System. It Asks: What Are The Central, Unchanging Features Of Capitalism? How Does Capitalism Vary From Place To Place And Over Time? Does Capitalism Improve Our Lives? Is Capitalism A System Which Is Natural And Free? Or Is It Unjust And Unstable? And What About Today's Global Capitalism? Answers To These Questions And Many More Are Sought Through An Analysis Of The Life Of This World-shaping Idea And Of The Writings Of Leading Thinkers Such As Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Francis Fukuyama, John Maynard Keynes And Karl Marx. The Book Concludes By Arguing That The Advocates Of Global Capitalism Have Erred And That, Without Change, We Are Heading For An Impoverished Future.--jacket. How To Think About Capitalism -- Capitalism As A System: Natural And Free -- Capitalism As A System: Unjust And Unstable -- Empire And Crises 1870-1945 -- Post-1945 Capitalism: Variations Over Time -- Global Capitalism. Paul Bowles. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 189-196) And Index. Capitalism stands unrivalled as the economic system of our times. Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the world has become a stage for capital, and yet despite this dominance, capitalism is still not well-understood. This is a guide to thinking about capitalism, both as an ideology and as an economic system. It what are the central, unchanging features of capitalism? How does capitalism vary from place to place and over time? Does capitalism improve our lives? Is capitalism a system which is natural and free? Or is it unjust and unstable? And what about todays global capitalism? Answers to these questions and many more are sought through an analysis the life of this world-shaping idea and of the writings of leading thinkers such as Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Francis Fukuyama, John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx. The book concludes by arguing that the advocates of global capitalism have erred and that, without change, we are heading for an impoverished future. "This is a guide to thinking about capitalism, both as an ideology and as an economic system. It asks: what are the central, unchanging features of capitalism? How does capitalism vary from place to place and over time? Does capitalism improve our lives? Is capitalism a system which is "natural" and "free"? Or is it unjust and unstable? And what about today's global capitalism? Answers to these questions and many more are sought through an analysis of the life of this world-shaping idea and of the writings of leading thinkers such as Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Francis Fukuyama, John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx. The book concludes by arguing that the advocates of global capitalism have erred and that, without change, we are heading for an impoverished future."--BOOK JACKET
