What do you think?
Rate this book
The End of the World as We Know It?: Crisis, Resistance, and the Age of Austerity
The End of the World as We Know It? explores the origins and effects of the capitalist crisis that began in 2008. It moves on to examine the responses of both the dispossessed and the ruling classes to the catastrophe, giving special attention to student mobilizations around the world. Weaving together a global network of stories and analyses, editor Deric Shannon creates an outline of what real and effective opposition to the forces that are destroying our lives and our planet might look like. From solidarity networks to revolutionary unionism, student strikes, and ever-new forms of state and corporate control, The End of the World as We Know It? is a guide to the future of anticapitalist struggle
“Highly recommended reading for the contemporary dissident.” — Ruth Kinna, author of A Beginner’s Guide to Anarchism “ The End of the World As We Know It? will be an invaluable resource for students of political economy in our momentous times.... [it] offers an indispensable array of perspectives on the crisis in contemporary global capitalism, with an eye toward dismantling it.” —Alessandro De Giorgi, author of Re-thinking the Political Economy of Punishment “ A must-read for those interested in navigating the turbulent waters of economic uncertainty, political instability, and global resistance. The contributors not only provide clear and accessible analyses but also, and more importantly, a range of thought-provoking proposals for change which challenge an increasingly unequal and unsustainable status quo.” —Nathan Jun, Author of Anarchism and Political Modernity "There is nothing more important for anticapitalists than providing sharp analysis and relevant answers to the problems of our time, rather than merely propagating noble ideals. Here is a book that lives up to the task." —Gabriel Kuhn, editor of All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 “The contributions in The End of the World As We Know It? provide us with important lessons concerning the economic crisis and the attempts of working people to create a world worth living in.” —Andrej Grubacic, author of Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! Essays After Yugoslavia
“Highly recommended reading for the contemporary dissident.” — Ruth Kinna, author of A Beginner’s Guide to Anarchism “ The End of the World As We Know It? will be an invaluable resource for students of political economy in our momentous times.... [it] offers an indispensable array of perspectives on the crisis in contemporary global capitalism, with an eye toward dismantling it.” —Alessandro De Giorgi, author of Re-thinking the Political Economy of Punishment “ A must-read for those interested in navigating the turbulent waters of economic uncertainty, political instability, and global resistance. The contributors not only provide clear and accessible analyses but also, and more importantly, a range of thought-provoking proposals for change which challenge an increasingly unequal and unsustainable status quo.” —Nathan Jun, Author of Anarchism and Political Modernity "There is nothing more important for anticapitalists than providing sharp analysis and relevant answers to the problems of our time, rather than merely propagating noble ideals. Here is a book that lives up to the task." —Gabriel Kuhn, editor of All Power to the Councils! A Documentary History of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 “The contributions in The End of the World As We Know It? provide us with important lessons concerning the economic crisis and the attempts of working people to create a world worth living in.” —Andrej Grubacic, author of Don’t Mourn, Balkanize! Essays After Yugoslavia
- GenresHistory and Politics
536 pages, Paperback
First published April 21, 2014
2 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2014
As Americans (or people living in America -- North America), we are all aware of the financial crisis of 2008 and how it's effected our economy to such a degree that all anyone talks about nowadays is how, when, and if we're ever going to bounce back. It's impossible to turn on the news and not see reports on how the average American is affected by this post-crisis economy. But a story that isn't told as much is how the financial crisis has affected the world and what the response has been -- both locally and globally.
Well, The End of the World as We Know It sheds a little bit of light on that and puts the financial crisis of 2008 in a more worldly perspective. It's not quite clear what The End of the World as We Know It is trying to do, except give snapshots of a very specific period in our history. More specifically, we get a brief sketch and almost story-like pieces. The underlining theme? It's the innocent bystanders of the financial crisis who have had to pay and not those who caused it, and this is solely due to our governments.
500 pages long, this awfully-titled book is divided into 5 sections: the crisis, its effect, the response of those who it's affected, the effect of the ruling class, and the student response to the crisis. Editor Deric Shannon paints quite a gloomy picture as he collects interviews and writing by various authors who try and explain different elements of this very complex catastrophe. Included are pieces about the main cause of the 2008 crisis (and sub-prime mortgage lending), how community-based organizations have fought back (by legally challenging banks and foreclosures), the pre- and post-crisis anti-austerity movement (in places such as Greece, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Spain), Occupy Wall Street and its mechanisms (and what it has accomplished in such a short lifespan), academic-centric protests and populists organizations that have been formed as response to government austerity, and the consequences of having a system that does all it can to support capitalism.
Deric Shannon should be commended for his editing as the pieces collected here are well written and look (though briefly) at the financial crisis from several perspectives. The picture painted here is pretty gloomy (we are all doomed, folks), but Shannon provides us with some uplifting stories that prove that, even though the odds are so strongly stacked against us, it's only with small victories that we can hope to win.
Well, The End of the World as We Know It sheds a little bit of light on that and puts the financial crisis of 2008 in a more worldly perspective. It's not quite clear what The End of the World as We Know It is trying to do, except give snapshots of a very specific period in our history. More specifically, we get a brief sketch and almost story-like pieces. The underlining theme? It's the innocent bystanders of the financial crisis who have had to pay and not those who caused it, and this is solely due to our governments.
500 pages long, this awfully-titled book is divided into 5 sections: the crisis, its effect, the response of those who it's affected, the effect of the ruling class, and the student response to the crisis. Editor Deric Shannon paints quite a gloomy picture as he collects interviews and writing by various authors who try and explain different elements of this very complex catastrophe. Included are pieces about the main cause of the 2008 crisis (and sub-prime mortgage lending), how community-based organizations have fought back (by legally challenging banks and foreclosures), the pre- and post-crisis anti-austerity movement (in places such as Greece, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Spain), Occupy Wall Street and its mechanisms (and what it has accomplished in such a short lifespan), academic-centric protests and populists organizations that have been formed as response to government austerity, and the consequences of having a system that does all it can to support capitalism.
Deric Shannon should be commended for his editing as the pieces collected here are well written and look (though briefly) at the financial crisis from several perspectives. The picture painted here is pretty gloomy (we are all doomed, folks), but Shannon provides us with some uplifting stories that prove that, even though the odds are so strongly stacked against us, it's only with small victories that we can hope to win.
July 3, 2024
This is an absolutely magnificent book. It is the best of what edited collections can be and can achieve. There is a diversity of genres in the chapter presentations, including some stunning interview chapters. Most importantly, this book is properly international.
It is also properly stroppy. The incompetence and errors in the contemporary workplace, universities, finance capitalism and real estate capitalism are clearly detailed. The anger is righteous and the examples are powerful.
Most importantly, this book offers a strong definition of crisis, and how it can be used to enable resistance. From nightmares of incompetence can emerge a deep, grounded and robust resistance.
I also must note that the entire book is incredibly well written. It was a joy and pleasure to read.
Magnificent. I remain inspired, troubled, but passionately engaged.
It is also properly stroppy. The incompetence and errors in the contemporary workplace, universities, finance capitalism and real estate capitalism are clearly detailed. The anger is righteous and the examples are powerful.
Most importantly, this book offers a strong definition of crisis, and how it can be used to enable resistance. From nightmares of incompetence can emerge a deep, grounded and robust resistance.
I also must note that the entire book is incredibly well written. It was a joy and pleasure to read.
Magnificent. I remain inspired, troubled, but passionately engaged.
July 18, 2014
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
The biggest difficulty I think I will have in reviewing this book is not putting too much of myself in it. While I have not been affected nearly as much by austerity measures as many of the contributors, I certainly understand their effect, and have been affected in more minor ways.
This book is not one to just sit down and read, but rather would work better as a tool in the study of the current world economic state of the world. An international collection of contributors gives a more worldly view of the current economic crisis and how different countries have been affected. It certainly gives more information than local, national and major international news stations have shared or how the media can shape how austerity measures are perceived.
I certainly came to a better understanding of the current economic crisis on a national and international scale, and, thanks to the first part of the book, The Crisis, have a better understanding of the economic practices which brought the world to this point. I was even unaware of all of the issues faced by Canadian postal workers in Canada, except for in how cutbacks would affect the general public until I read Driedger's article "Austerity and Unions: A Case Study of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers". The contributors are varied, and are typically well informed with detailed endnotes and citations to ensure credibility and allow for further research to be conducted with their work.
Overall, this text is a great resource for the understanding of the current economic crisis, the faults and folly of capitalism and how it brought the world to this point, the austerity measures being adopted around the world, and the resistance of those most impacted. Overall, there is very much a pessimistic world-view to this collection, but in many cases, the articles are written by, or about, those who feel they have lost, or are at risk of losing, everything, or believe they have no real future to live, but only to work long hours to make more money for people who do not really need it while struggling to house and feed themselves. As the editor states in the conclusion, the struggle is to try to have a meaningful life and this book is a collection of articles detailing how people around the world are trying to do just that.
The biggest difficulty I think I will have in reviewing this book is not putting too much of myself in it. While I have not been affected nearly as much by austerity measures as many of the contributors, I certainly understand their effect, and have been affected in more minor ways.
This book is not one to just sit down and read, but rather would work better as a tool in the study of the current world economic state of the world. An international collection of contributors gives a more worldly view of the current economic crisis and how different countries have been affected. It certainly gives more information than local, national and major international news stations have shared or how the media can shape how austerity measures are perceived.
I certainly came to a better understanding of the current economic crisis on a national and international scale, and, thanks to the first part of the book, The Crisis, have a better understanding of the economic practices which brought the world to this point. I was even unaware of all of the issues faced by Canadian postal workers in Canada, except for in how cutbacks would affect the general public until I read Driedger's article "Austerity and Unions: A Case Study of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers". The contributors are varied, and are typically well informed with detailed endnotes and citations to ensure credibility and allow for further research to be conducted with their work.
Overall, this text is a great resource for the understanding of the current economic crisis, the faults and folly of capitalism and how it brought the world to this point, the austerity measures being adopted around the world, and the resistance of those most impacted. Overall, there is very much a pessimistic world-view to this collection, but in many cases, the articles are written by, or about, those who feel they have lost, or are at risk of losing, everything, or believe they have no real future to live, but only to work long hours to make more money for people who do not really need it while struggling to house and feed themselves. As the editor states in the conclusion, the struggle is to try to have a meaningful life and this book is a collection of articles detailing how people around the world are trying to do just that.
June 6, 2014
I thought this was an outstanding book! I loved the title too, but I'm also a REM fan. Anyway, I thought the book had a lot of strengths. I appreciate the sentiment that those who are responsible for the 2007-2008 financial crisis have not experienced repercussions for their bad actions. The U.S. government created financial incentives for banks to soften the restrictions for home loans. Instead of banks acting responsibly, financial institutions made a lot of loans that never should have occurred. Since banks had a substantial financial incentive to make home loans (good or bad) and the government backed these loans, eventually everything spiraled out of control. It's a frustrating scenario because until the financial incentives are removed that reward people for behaving badly, I think this type of behavior will continue to exist. Overall, this book offers a wide variety of perspectives regarding the causes of the financial crisis and the effects felt worldwide. It's an interesting read, but it will not make you feel optimistic about the global economy. The book is very insightful and provides a significant and necessary critique of global capitalism.
September 9, 2019
This was certainly a book of its time, with pieces gathered far enough after the financial crisis that it could feel big-picture, but short enough after Occupy that people were still writing lots of postmortems (in fact this whole collection really I does fit into that genre, with its focus on 'movements against'). It felt discombobulated though - at times overly academic, and at others not grounded enough - and given that my politics have shifted since I purchased this, I also disagree with many of the solutions/organizing strategies put forward by the authors of pieces. Maybe worth reading if you are looking for as many different analyses on the financial crisis as possible though, including the anarchist/syndicalist view.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews