Capitalism and Its Economics

Douglas Dowd is a widely respected academic and political activist. He has taught at Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, and San Jose State University and is currently teaching at the University of Modena in Italy. He is the author of Capitalism and its Economics (Pluto, 2004).

Prologue: what has capitalism done for us? to us? the dynamics of capitalist development; the sociology of economic theory. Part 1 1750-1945: Birth - the Industrial revolution and classical political economy, 1750-1850 - the start of something big, the state - now you see it, now you don't, emperor cotton, industrialism in the saddle, the brains trust; maturation - global capitalism and neo-classical economics, 1850-1914 - and British industry shall rule the world - for a while, the United Sates, Germany, a digression on the casting of stones, Japan, arise, ye prisoners of starvation!, a place in the sun, economics in wonderland; death throes - chaos, war, depression, war again, economics in disarray, 1914-1945 - the war to end all wars, as you sow, so shall you rap, the big one, new deal, Nazi Germany, through a glass darkly, the waste land, economics - almost out with the old; almost in with the new. Part 2 1945-2000: resurrection - global economy II and crisis; hopeful stirrings in economics - 1945-1975 - the best of times...for some, for a while, Behemoth capitalism unbound, from the ashes arising, super-states, all together now - shop! and borrow!, stagflation - the monster with two heads, economics on a seesaw; new world order - globalisation and financialisation; and decadent economics, 1975-1000 - introduction and retrospect, monopoly capitalism II, giants roaming the earth, the super-state's new masters, the world as capital's oyster.