The ideas of economists and social philosophers shape actions and events even when we
are unaware of their sources. They have a decisive influence on the great rush of
revolution and change through which the world has passed in the last two hundred years.
Professor Galbraith traces these ideas and their consequences from Adam
Smith, through Marx and Lenin, to Keynes and to the thinking that gave shape to the
concepts of the Cold War, the corporation and, now, the conflicts and concerns of the
Third World.
It is a notable book, written with Professor Galbraith's accustomed
wit, clarity and high professional competence - the qualities that have made him one of
the most widely admired and widely read writers of the time, not only in English but in a
full dozen other languages. But this cool and amusing volume is also written for a yet
wider audience than his earlier books - it is for all, in fact, who wish to know and
understand the sources both of their own ideas and of those that shape the world.
The first chapter, which examines the ideas of the prophets of
classical capitalism, leads on to one on the manners and morals of high capitalism. A
portrait of Marx and his ideas is followed by a consideration of colonialism and then of
Lenin and the practical expression of his ideas in the demise of the traditional European
power structure after the Great War. An interlude on money, banking, bubbles and crashes
introduces a chapter on the Keynesian Reassurance. This is followed by a consideration of
the modern large and multinational corporation, of the sources of continuing poverty in
the Third World and of the origins and agonies of the modern great metropolis. The final
chapter is on the nature of democratic power, the way it selects and tests its leaders and
the problems to which they must address themselves.
The Age of Uncertainty is being published simultaneously with
the release of the television series of the same name. It goes beyond the television
treatment to expand and develop the ideas and history there presented, to ensure that what
will be engrossing as a television program will be consistent and readable as a book.
The ideological development of classical capitalism in Britain and France and its flowering into an accepted certainty in the United States in the late 19th century. It discusses the contributions of Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Thomas Malthus.
The robber baron industrial capitalists of the late nineteenth century and examines their conspicuous consumption concept of earning and spending money. It discusses ways in which this concept affects our attitudes today.
The film opens with a view of Marx's tomb. Galbraith enumerates the different qualities of Karl Marx. We are shown the home where he was born in Trier, Germany, and his early life history is recounted. Hegel and the University of Berlin stand out as a high-point.
Focuses on colonialism and the colonial adventure, which Galbraith considers historically and as a continuing legacy.
The outbreak of the first world war, with its absurd unreason, should have triumphantly fulfilled Marx's prophecy of the end of capitalism. The war and the events leading up to it are illustrated on stage by posturing knights. The life of Lenin is counterpointed with the scenes of war.
This program focuses on the history and function of money in society, which Galbraith considers through an analysis of the cycles of instability and inflation that plague the system.
This program focuses on the world-wide slump that threatened economic disaster after World War I and the role of economist John Maynard Keynes' ideas on saving the West.
This program investigates the origins and development of the military and industrial economy as a result of the cold war and the continuing rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The corporation, as a myth and reality, is examined and dissected. Multi national corporations are prominent today, their image is similar no matter where the corporation is headquartered. Corporations are also leading the way in advancing capitalism as a form of governance that is in contradiction to and often times conflicting with democracy.
This program focuses on the role of land in determining wealth and poverty and its effect on social and foreign policies.
This video portrays problems of the industrial society as seen in the urban metropolis, which best reflects its uncertainty and crisis.
Focuses on the processes and operation of democracy with a look at the American experiment. It combines Galbraith's personal memoirs of leaders that he has known, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr, with emphasis on the role of individual action in government and organization.
Professor Galbraith at his Vermont home with a group of political leaders, discussing the economic state of the world. His guests include Henry Kissinger, Edward Heath, Shirley Williams, Jack Jones and Professor Ralf Dhrendorf. The discussion includes inflation, unemployment, and international economic problems.