The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A classic work of social science from 'the twentieth century's most prophetic critic of capitalism' Prospect 'One of the most powerful books in social sciences ever written. ... A must-read.' Thomas Piketty Tracing the history of capitalism in England and beyond, Karl Polanyi's landmark 1944 classic brilliantly exposed the myth of laissez-faire economics. From the great transformation that occurred during the industrial revolution onwards, he showed, there has been nothing 'natural' about the market state. Instead, the economy must always be embedded in society, and human needs and relations. Witnessing the 'avalanche of social dislocation' of his time - from the Great Depression, to the rise of fascism and communism and the First and Second World Wars - Polanyi ends with a rallying cry for freedom, and a passionate vision to protect our common humanity.

Reviews

One of the most powerful books in social sciences ever written. Polanyi convincingly shows that market fundamentalism, the religion of competition and the commodification of social relations largely contributed to fragilize Western societies and to lead to the authoritarian and totalitarian nightmare of 1914-1945. The same risk applies today at the global scale. A must-read.

Author Bio

Karl Polanyi (1886-1964) is considered one of the twentieth century's most prophetic and perceptive economic historians. He left his native Austria with the rise of fascism and became a British citizen. During his academic career he taught at Bennington College, the University of Oxford, and the University of London, and wrote The Essence of Fascism, The Great Transformation, and (with A. Rotstein) Dahomey and the Slave Trade.