The Great Transformation

‘One of the most powerful books in social sciences ever written. Polanyi convincingly shows that market fundamentalism, the religion of competition and the commodification of social relations largely contributed to fragilize Western societies and to lead to the authoritarian and totalitarian nightmare of 1914-1945. The same risk applies today at the global scale. A must-read.’
With this book Karl Polanyi explained the rise of fascism in the 1920s and 30s. Today his great work sheds light on the worldwide rise of authoritarianism, and on our predicament. It is as essential and relevant as it was in 1944.
Polanyi's vision for an alternative economy re-embedded in politics and social relations offers a refreshing alternative * Guardian *
Polanyi exposes the myth of the free market
The twentieth century’s most prophetic critic of capitalism . . . The Great Transformation, written for a broad audience, is witty and passionate as well as erudite * Prospect *
His masterpiece * New Yorker *
His magnum opus . . . a totem for social democracy * Dissent *
A vital counterpoint to the hegemony of political economics . . . one of the century’s classics * Boston Review *
[The Great Transformation] did more than any work of that generation to broaden and deepen the critique of market societies * Progressive *
Polanyi’s revolutionary work is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of our economic systems and debunking the myths around the free market -- Mariana Mazzucato