The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000Conventional wisdom has long claimed that economic change is the prime mover of political change, whether in the age of industry or Internet. But is it? Ferguson thinks it is high time we re-examined the link-the nexus, in Thomas Carlyle's phrase-between economics and politics. His central argument is that the conflicting impulses of sex, violence, and power are together more powerful than money. Among Ferguson's startling claims are: · Nothing has done more to transform the world economy than war, yet wars themselves do not have primarily economic causes. · The present age of economic globalization is coinciding-paradoxically-with political and military fragmentation. · Financial crises are frequently caused by unforeseen political events rather than economic fluctuations. · The relationship between prosperity and government popularity is largely illusory. · Since political and economic liberalization are not self-perpetuating, the so-called triumph of democracy worldwide may be short-lived. · A bold synthesis of political history and modern economic theory, Cash Nexus will transform the landscape of modern history and draw challenging conclusions about the prospects of both capitalism and democracy. |
Contents
Democracys | 12 |
The Rise and Fall of the Warfare State | 23 |
Hateful Taxes | 51 |
Copyright | |
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20 per cent accounted American ancien régime armies average Bank bonds Britain British budget burden bureaucracy capital cash cent of total central government Chapter Correlates of War cost death decline defence spending deficit democracy democratic direct tax duties early modern economists electorate employment European excise figure finance fiscal France French Germany income tax increase indirect inflation institutions introduced Italy James Gillray land less levied Marx military expenditure million monopoly Napoleonic Wars national debt national income national insurance contributions national product nexus nineteenth century parliament peak percentage period political population proportion of total public debt public sector public spending ratio reduce relative representation revenue Revolution rise rose royal Russia Second World Second World War share SIPRI sources Soviet Union stock market bubbles tariffs tax farmers tax farming taxation taxpayers tended tion total public twentieth century United wars
References to this book
The International Political Economy of Investment Bubbles Paul Sheeran,Amber Spain No preview available - 2004 |