Turbulent Empires: A History of Global Capitalism since 1945 by Mike Mason
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702019831934 |
| Published date | 01 March 2019 |
| Author | Doug Owram |
| Date | 01 March 2019 |
| Subject Matter | Book Reviews |
broader and deeper than the authors allow. ‘‘The Anglosphere in Conservative
Politics’’ might have been a more appropriate subtitle.
Mike Mason
Turbulent Empires: A History of Global Capitalism since 1945
Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2018. 329 pp. $39.95 (cloth)
ISBN: 978-0-7735-5321-7
Reviewed by: Doug Owram (doug.owram@ubc.ca), University of British Columbia
This is an audaciousand wide-ranging book. As the title indicates, Mason is attempt-
ing nothing less than to provide an overview of capitalism on a global scale since the
end of World War II. Moreover, he does it not as a unit but geographically, with
separate chapters by nation or region. Naturally he deals with the major powers
from the ‘‘leviathan,’’ the United States, through China, Russia, and the EU. He
goes much further,though, sweeping across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin
America. Relatively small economies like Syria, Argentina, and even the Congo are
given distinct sections. It is a whirlwind tour of the way in which the modern eco-
nomic system is played out in areas with vastly different political traditions, levels of
wealth, and economic prospects. By the time we have finished, we have visited some
twenty nations—many more if the EU wasn’t treated as a single entity.
To do this, Mason brings to bear an impressive amount of secondary material
and a readable and non-technical style. The book is enlivened by the occasional
eruption of vehement judgment, witty asides, and frequent digressions. Most of
these contribute to the work, though occasionally I wondered why we were wan-
dering off into a discussion of American religiosity or a comparison of South
African and American fundamentalism. Overall, the reader who wants a brief
and intelligent history of, say, China’s shift to Chinese-style capitalism, or of the
dismal prospects for Pakistan, will find this work extremely useful.
That being said, not all sections of the book are equally successful. Mason’s
geographic approach works best when it focuses on major economic entities like
the United States, China, or the EU. When he moves into areas where the econo-
mies are more fragmented, such as Africa or the Middle East, the geographic
approach does not work as well. There are two reasons for this. The first is the
simple fact that fragmentation means arbitrary choices have to be made. Why is the
Congo selected in Africa while Nigeria is ignored? Why is there nothing on Mexico,
or for that matter, Canada? The second is that the relationship between these small
economies and capitalism is quite different. It is questionable whether they really
are capitalist, and certainly dubious whether neo-liberalism, which Mason sees as
the ideology shaping the last thirty years or so, is the reigning force. Religious
animosities, cultural practices, and state corruption as much as market forces shape
the way economies have evolved in much of the world. Perhaps it would have been
better to diverge from the geographic approach and seek some common patterns
shaping regions of the developing world.
176 International Journal 74(1)
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