Capitalism and Its Critics

A Battle of Ideas in the Modern World

John Cassidy

$85

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Allen Lane
29 July 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; General & world history; History: specific events & topics; Economics & Business; Economic systems & structures; Economic history

A sweeping, dramatic history of capitalism as seen through the eyes of its fiercest critics

At a time when we are faced with fundamental questions about the sustainability and morality of the economic system, Capitalism and Its Critics provides a kaleidoscopic history of global capitalism, from colonialism and the Industrial Revolution to the ecological crisis and artificial intelligence.

John Cassidy adopts a bold new approach- he tells the story through the eyes of the system's critics. From eighteenth-century weavers who rebelled against early factory automation to Eric Williams's paradigm-changing work on slavery and capitalism, to the Latin American dependistas, the international Wages for Housework campaign of the 1970s, and the modern degrowth movement, this absorbing narrative traverses the globe. It looks at familiar figures - Smith, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, Polanyi - from a fresh perspective, but also focuses on many less familiar, including William Thompson, the Irish proto-socialist whose work influenced Marx; Flora Tristan, the French proponent of a universal labour union; John Hobson, the original theorist of imperialism; and J. C. Kumarappa, the Indian exponent of Gandhian economics.

Blending biography, panoramic history, and lively exploration of economic theories, Capitalism and Its Critics illuminates the deep roots of many of the most urgent issues of our time.

By: John Cassidy
Imprint: Allen Lane
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 39mm
Weight: 1.031kg
ISBN: 9780241457009
ISBN 10: 0241457009
Pages: 624
Publication Date: 29 July 2025
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

John Cassidy is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Dot.con- The Greatest Story Ever Sold and How Markets Fail, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction.