Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism

Globalists traces the origins and development of neoliberalism through the lens of intellectuals who sought to reimagine global economic order after the fall of European empires. The book follows key thinkers from the 1920s to the 1990s, centered on the Geneva School of economists and legal scholars. The narrative tracks how these theorists worked to create new frameworks for protecting capitalism and free markets on a global scale. Their efforts led to the establishment of international institutions and legal structures that would outlive the age of empire and colonialism. Through extensive research and archival materials, Slobodian examines how neoliberal intellectuals responded to decolonization movements and the rise of economic nationalism in the Global South. The book connects historical developments to contemporary debates about globalization and economic governance. The work offers insights into how ideas about world economic order have shaped modern institutions and power structures. By focusing on the intellectual architects of neoliberalism, the book illuminates the origins of today's global economic system.

Readers praise the detailed research and archival work that traces neoliberalism's intellectual origins, particularly through the Geneva School thinkers. Many note the book challenges common assumptions about neoliberalism being purely market-focused, showing its architects wanted strong global institutions. Positive reviews highlight: - Clear explanations of complex economic concepts - New historical perspectives on globalization - Documentation of links between neoliberalism and imperialism Common criticisms: - Dense academic writing style - Too much focus on specific historical figures - Insufficient connection to contemporary issues Ratings: Goodreads: 4.24/5 (163 ratings) Amazon: 4.4/5 (47 ratings) Sample reader comment: "Slobodian shows how neoliberals weren't anti-state but wanted to reconfigure state power globally" (Goodreads reviewer) Critical comment: "Important research but could be more accessible to general readers" (Amazon reviewer)

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The Birth of Biopolitics by Michel Foucault These collected lectures examine the development of neoliberal governmentality and its relationship to market rationality in the post-war period.

Masters of the Universe by Daniel Stedman Jones This work chronicles the rise of neoliberal economics through the networks of intellectuals, politicians, and institutions that transformed market fundamentalism into government policy.

The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi This economic history examines the social and political upheavals caused by the emergence of market economies in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean This investigation uncovers the origins of neoliberal thought in the American context through the work of economist James Buchanan and his influence on modern political movements.

🌐 Slobodian reveals that many early neoliberal thinkers were not actually advocating for free markets, but rather for protected global economic institutions that would be insulated from democratic pressures. 📚 The book challenges the common narrative that neoliberalism emerged from the Chicago School, showing instead how it developed from a network of European intellectuals responding to the fall of the Habsburg Empire. 🏛️ The Geneva School, which included economists like Wilhelm Röpke and Ludwig von Mises, saw the end of European empires as a crisis that required new forms of global economic governance. 🔄 The World Trade Organization's structure closely mirrors proposals made by neoliberal thinkers in the 1930s and 1940s, who sought to create "superstate" institutions that would protect capital flows across borders. 🎓 Quinn Slobodian developed this book while teaching at Wellesley College, drawing extensively from previously untranslated German-language sources and archives that had rarely been examined by English-speaking scholars.