Into the twentieth century -- I: Last best years of the golden age, 1896-1914. Global capitalism triumphant -- Defenders of the global economy -- Success stories of the golden age -- Failures of development -- Problems of the global economy -- II: Things fall apart, 1914-1939. "All that is solid...

For much of the post-World War Two period, the world seemed on a path of ever-greater collaboration among the principal economic centers. In the past decade, economic and political trends have called this upward tendency into question. Within both advanced industrial and developing nations,...