The Making of Global Capitalism

Lucid and indispensable guides to the history and practice of American Empire. -- Naomi Klein, award-winning journalist and author of <i>The Shock Doctrine</i> It's the best left look at the U.S. empire I've seen. The picture of the U.S. as having the long-term dynamism and coherence of the global system 'front of mind', as the biz types say, makes far more sense than, say, the Chomskyism that pervades much of the left. They have few rivals and no betters in analyzing the relations between politics and economics, between globalization and American power, between theory and quotidian reality, and between crisis and political possibility. -- Doug Henwood, editor and publisher of <i>Left Business Observer</i> Combining the ferocity of investigative reporters, sophisticated skills in interpreting the historical archive, and a profound grasp of theory, Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin provide an astonishingly illuminating account of the making of global capitalism through the organization of a global financial system under US hegemony since World War II. If we are, as it seems, destined to live under the dictatorship of the world's central bankers then it is vital for everyone to know how this came about and what the current fault lines might be that hold out prospects for strong anti-capitalist struggles to emerge. A must read for everyone who is concerned about where the future of capitalism might lie. -- David Harvey, CUNY Graduate Center, author of <i>A Brief History of Neoliberalism</i> Bringing new understanding to the dominant global role of the United States from World War I onward in business and economic policymaking, The Making of Global Capitalism advances an original perspective on the forces that have created our current epoch of neoliberal globalization. This is a major work in political economy-rigorously researched, compellingly written, and bursting with fresh insights on nearly every page. -- Robert Pollin, Professor of Economics and Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts-Amherst Panitch and Gindin give us a history of global capitalism that brings together what has often been represented as unconnected. The authors help us see the active making of global capitalism mostly overlooked in mainstream explanation. A great book. -- Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and author of <i>Territory, Authority, Rights</i> Left-leaning intellectuals examine the exceptional role of the United States in the development of global capitalism ... .[a] densely detailed work. * Kirkus Reviews * Sweeping, timely, and well-researched study of global capitalism ... compelling. * Publishers Weekly * Deep, profound, and rich ... a truly epoch work that deserves careful, deliberate reading. Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin have so much to offer as we deliberate about the paths to follow for empowerment and meaningful change. -- Mimi Rosenberg, host of Building Bridges on WBAI A real tonic both theoretically and, especially, politically. Panitch and Gindin have a deep understanding of historical materialism-their analysis is concrete and always anchored to advancing class struggle as an epistemic as well as a political project -- Adolph Reed, professor of political science, University of Pennsylvania [G]ives an excellent history of capitalism and compares how modern capitalism in America has set the stage for the acceptance of global capitalism ... one of the best books I've read on the topic. -- David H. * Book Bargains and Previews * A meticulous history of how the American state, in conjunction with Wall Street, developed the institutional conditions that made global capitalism possible. -- Jake Olzen * Infoshop News * A masterful century-long history of US corporate activity and state economic strategy. Insofar as capitalist states are where class interests are codified, their s

Sam Gindin is the former Research Director of the Canadian Autoworkers Union and Packer visiting Chair in Social Justice at York University. Among his many publications, he is the author (with Greg Albo and Leo Panitch) of In and Out of Crisis: The Global Financial Meltdown and Left Alternatives. Leo Panitch is Canada Research Chair in Comparative Political Economy and Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science at York University. Editor of The Socialist Register for twenty-five years, his many books include Working Class Politics in Crisis; A Different Kind of State; The End of Parliamentary Socialism; and American Empire and the Political Economy of Global Finance.