pdotb reviewed Capitalism Unleashed by Andrew Glyn
Solid economic history, but a bit anodyne
4 stars
This is a solid history of economic developments in the second half of the twentieth century, with a particular focus on the period from the mid-seventies on. Lots of graphs and tables, and economic data to back up the analysis. For all that, though, it felt a bit, I don't know, bloodless (and yes, I realise that's an odd complaint for a vegan to make). The sharp rise in unemployment in the early eighties seemed to be no more than a spike in a graph, and even the miners' strike and the following pit closures were passed over pretty lightly. I read this book on the recommendation of a podcast interview (and now, of course, I can remember neither the interviewee nor even which podcast it was), but the other two books mentioned (and which I hope to read soon) were published by Pluto and Verso, so I'm hoping for …
This is a solid history of economic developments in the second half of the twentieth century, with a particular focus on the period from the mid-seventies on. Lots of graphs and tables, and economic data to back up the analysis. For all that, though, it felt a bit, I don't know, bloodless (and yes, I realise that's an odd complaint for a vegan to make). The sharp rise in unemployment in the early eighties seemed to be no more than a spike in a graph, and even the miners' strike and the following pit closures were passed over pretty lightly. I read this book on the recommendation of a podcast interview (and now, of course, I can remember neither the interviewee nor even which podcast it was), but the other two books mentioned (and which I hope to read soon) were published by Pluto and Verso, so I'm hoping for something a bit more engaging.