The Anxious Triumph

Oct 27, 2024 10:23 AM

Author:Donald Sassoon

The Anxious Triumph

'A magnum opus, an accessible and genuinely global history ... This is a book for today and tomorrow' Financial Times

Capitalist enterprise has existed in some form since ancient times, but the globalization and dominance of capitalism as a system began in the 1860s when, in different forms and supported by different political forces, states all over the world developed their modern political frameworks: the unifications of Italy and Germany, the establishment of a republic in France, the elimination of slavery in the American south, the Meiji Restoration in Japan, the emancipation of the serfs in Tsarist Russia. This book magnificently explores how, after the upheavals of industrialisation, a truly global capitalism followed. For the first time in the history of humanity, there was a social system able to provide a high level of consumption for the majority of those who lived within its bounds. Today, capitalism dominates the world.

With wide-ranging scholarship, Donald Sassoon analyses the impact of capitalism on the histories of many different states, and how it creates winners and losers by constantly innovating. This chronic instability, he writes, 'is the foundation of its advance, not a fault in the system or an incidental by-product'. And it is this instability, this constant churn, which produces the anxious triumph of his title. To control or alleviate such anxieties it was necessary to create a national community, if necessary with colonial adventures, to develop a welfare state, to intervene in the market economy, and to protect it from foreign competition. Capitalists needed a state to discipline them, to nurture them, and to sacrifice a few to save the rest: a state overseeing the war of all against all.

Vigorous, argumentative, surprising and constantly stimulating, The Anxious Triumph gives a fresh perspective on all these questions and on its era. It is a masterpiece by one of Britain's most engaging and wide-ranging historians.

Reviews

A brilliant writer with a polymathic range. With The Anxious Triumph, he has produced a magnum opus, an accessible and genuinely global history of the transformative but unstable capitalist phenomenon. ... This is a book for today and tomorrow.

—— Harold James , Financial Times

It is hugely erudite: everyone can learn from it.

—— Paul Collier , New Statesman

Sassoon offers us a sprawling map, studded with fascinating details. ... It is quirkily brilliant

—— Adam Tooze , Guardian

He is no apologist. His comprehensive account of the origins of modern capitalism make clear the human cost of a system of institutionalised greed

—— Iain Macwhirter , Herald

A gripping story ... This is a book about some brave, curious people who tried hard to swim against the tide. As always in a Lewis book they are brought vividly alive ... Lewis is a master of his form.

—— Christina Patterson , The Sunday Times

A fluid intellectual thriller ... As always with Lewis, the book is full of fascinating facts and personal angles.

—— Steven Poole , Daily Telegraph Books of the Year 2021

[Reading The Premonition] we see a disturbing common trait emerging in our country and others: the unwillingness to prioritise people's lives over ideas and ingrained structures.

—— Kazuo Ishiguro , Observer Books of the Year 2021

It is hard to think of a writer who has had more success than Michael Lewis at turning forbiddingly complex situations into propulsive nonfiction narratives ... Without his ever having to spell it out, Lewis's message comes across very powerfully: the US government, in its institutional dysfunction, is in danger of abandoning its citizens to a private sector that is even less equipped to deal with large-scale disasters such as Covid.

—— Mark O’Connell , The Guardian

The authors want to inspire a new generation of economists, both at school level and among older students . . . If Patel and Meaning could help turn that tide, they will have performed a great public service.

—— Alex Brummer , Daily Mail

[One of] a range of accessible introductory books that can give people a basic understanding of the subject that may even prompt them to dig deeper . . . A great primer.

—— City A.M.

A great read

—— George Galloway, former Member of Parliament, broadcaster and bestselling author of I'm Not the Only One

Both amusing and informative, you'll come away with a much deeper understanding of what taxation is all about

—— Bill Bonner, bestselling author of Empire of Debt

Whether you think your taxes are fair or unfair, too high or too low, you need to read this book

—— Greg Moffitt, editor of New Thought

Highly readable

—— Luke Johnson, British entrepreneur and Sunday Times columnist

A hugely readable, well-researched book about the history, reality and future of tax, which can draw the occasional chuckle! Also an informative tome, which raises important questions about how and why governments are funded

—— James Roberts, Political Director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance

A book about tax, that is readable, fascinating - and fun! Sounds impossible, I know. But that's what Dominic Frisby has written

—— Liam Halligan, the Telegraph

This entertaining, easily read book will make you laugh and arm you for debates

—— Heather McGregor, Mrs Moneypenny, The Sunday Times

Frisby is a moonlighting phenomenon: a finance journalist by day and Edinburgh Fringe comedic star by night, he brings wit to the world of policy-wonkery in a way that is probably unique

—— Helen Dale, author of The Hand that Signed the Paper

Whatever your political leanings, you will find much to enjoy in this entertaining and educational romp through the history of taxation

—— Moneyweek

Please let's let Dominic Frisby loose on the Treasury!

—— Jamie Blackett, The Critic

a fascinating book...educational and fun. You will enjoy it!

—— Mish Talk, The Street

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