First-Class Passengers on a Sinking Ship: Elite Politics and the Decline of Great Powers
39.99 €
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First-Class Passengers on a Sinking Ship: Elite Politics and the Decline of Great Powers
39.99 €
"First-Class Passengers on a Sinking Ship," the final book by the late American sociologist Richard Lachmann (1956–2021), summarizes the main themes of his research: conflicts between European elites, the formation of the modern global system of political power, and the decline of the United States as a superpower. In this work, Lachmann, drawing heavily on his previous books, "The Reluctant Capitalists" and "States and Power," both published in Russia, analyzes the mechanisms of gaining, maintaining, and losing global hegemony, focusing on contemporary American material. Comparing the current position of the United States with that of two previous hegemonic powers—the Netherlands and Great Britain—Lachmann concludes that the loss of the American elite's capacity for effective reform predetermines the irreversible decline of the United States' global dominance, although its hegemony in the financial sphere will likely continue for a long time.
Despite its wealth of factual material, the book also presents undoubted theoretical interest, as Lachmann's original approach to the problem of hegemony is based on a critical reading of key macrosociological concepts such as world-systems analysis, military-fiscal theory, and others. The work is addressed not only to specialists—historians, political scientists, and sociologists—but also to a broader audience interested in the origins and structure of modern economics and geopolitics.
Despite its wealth of factual material, the book also presents undoubted theoretical interest, as Lachmann's original approach to the problem of hegemony is based on a critical reading of key macrosociological concepts such as world-systems analysis, military-fiscal theory, and others. The work is addressed not only to specialists—historians, political scientists, and sociologists—but also to a broader audience interested in the origins and structure of modern economics and geopolitics.
See also:
- All books by the publisher
- All books by the author