This work deepens our understanding of globalization by placing the phenomenon in a broader historical perspective. It conveys a clearer picture of globalization's current state and future prospects than the current conventional wisdom.

A refreshing, insightful look into the political and economic dynamics driving globalization today Globalization: it's earlier than you think. That's the provocative message of Against the Dead Hand, which traces the rise and fall of the century-long dream of central planning and top-down control and its impact on globalization-revealing the extent to which the "dead hand" of the old collectivist dream still shapes the contours of today's world economy. Mixing historical narrative, thought-provoking arguments, and on-the-scene reporting and interviews, Brink Lindsey shows how the economy has grown up amidst the wreckage of the old regime-detailing how that wreckage constrains the present and obscures the future. He conveys a clearer picture of globalization's current state than the current conventional wisdom, providing a framework for anticipating the future direction of the world economy.

Preface.
The Weight of the Past.
The Industrial Counterrevolution.
Centralization versus Uncertainty.
From World Economy to World War.
Twilight of the Idols.
The Dead Hand.
Hollow Capitalism.
The Rule of Lawlessness.
Unpeaceful Coexistence.
Recasting the Safety Net.
Liberalization by Fits and Starts.
Notes.
Epilogue.
Bibliography.
Index.