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The Great Leveler: Violence and the ... by Scheidel, Walter Paperback / softback
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- Buy It NowThe Great Leveler: Violence and the ... by Scheidel, Walter Paperback / softback
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About this item
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eBay item number:304545555286
Item specifics
- Condition
- ISBN
- 0691183252
- EAN
- 9780691183251
- Date of Publication
- 2018-09-18
- Publication Name
- N/A
- Type
- Paperback / softback
- Release Title
- The Great Leveler - Violence and the History of Inequality fro...
- Artist
- Scheidel, Walter
- Brand
- N/A
- Colour
- N/A
- Book Title
- Great Leveler : Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century
- Book Series
- The Princeton Economic History of the Western World Ser.
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press
- Item Length
- 8 in
- Publication Year
- 2018
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 1.6 in
- Genre
- Social Science, Business & Economics, History
- Topic
- Economic History, Sociology / General, Social History, Violence in Society, World
- Item Weight
- 17.8 Oz
- Item Width
- 5.4 in
- Number of Pages
- 528 Pages
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Princeton University Press
ISBN-10
0691183252
ISBN-13
9780691183251
eBay Product ID (ePID)
248444254
Product Key Features
Book Title
Great Leveler : Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century
Number of Pages
528 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2018
Topic
Economic History, Sociology / General, Social History, Violence in Society, World
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Social Science, Business & Economics, History
Book Series
The Princeton Economic History of the Western World Ser.
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
1.6 in
Item Weight
17.8 Oz
Item Length
8 in
Item Width
5.4 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Trade
TitleLeading
The
Dewey Edition
23
Reviews
"Scheidel's excellent survey has the merit of drawing evidence from the smallest scrap--height in burial sites, records of wages or rations, differences in house sizes over time, for example." ---Ben Collyer, New Scientist, "Mr. Scheidel's depressing view is bound to upset [those] who quite naturally might prefer to live in a world in which events might move political and social systems to figure out a more equitable way to distribute the fruits of growth without the plague, the guillotine or state collapse." ---Eduardo Porter, New York Times, " The Great Leveler is a fascinating and informative book, and likely to become a classic--as a warning about our fate if we accept inequality as a law of nature. But now we know better." ---Crawford Kilian, The Tyee, "A convincing--if depressing--portrait of wealth equalization over time and across space." ---Anthony Comegna, Cato Journal, "A new history of wealth inequality from primitive times to the present that is provoking wide debate." ---David Talbot, San Francisco Chronicle, "In his remarkable new book, The Great Leveler , historian Walter Scheidel shows that . . . reducing inequality has always been a miserable business. . . . Magisterial." ---Ian Morris, BBC History Magazine, "Alphaville's favourite scholar on [inequality] is Stanford's Walter Scheidel and, in particular, his book The Great Leveler ." ---Jamie Powell, Financial Times, "I am greatly impressed by his ingenuity in constructing his data-sets. . . . A very brave attempt to say very important things backed up by enormous empirical research. . . . This is a fascinating, brave and important book. I recommend that you should read it." ---Michael Mann, Millennium: Journal of International Studies, "In this remarkable study, [Scheidel] argues that after agriculture (and the agrarian state) was invented, elites were amazingly successful in extracting all the surplus the economy created. . . . Mr Scheidel suggests that inequality is sure to rise. We must prove him wrong. If we fail to do so, soaring inequality might slay democracy, too, in the end." ---Martin Wolf, Financial Times, " The Great Leveler should set off loud alarm bells.... The range of evidence is breathtaking." --Timur Kuran, Foreign Affairs, "Mr Scheidel's evidence is so persuasive that readers will find themselves cheering on the Black Death as a boost to median wages." --Janan Ganesh, Financial Times, "Tight labor markets shrink income inequality by causing employers to bid up the price of scarce labor, so policymakers fretting about income inequality could give an epidemic disease a try. This might be a bit extreme but if increased equality is the goal, Stanford's Walter Scheidel should be heard. His scholarship encompasses many things (classics, history, human biology) and if current events are insufficiently depressing for you, try his just-published book The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century . Judge this book by its cover, which features Albrecht Durer's woodcut 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.'" ---George Will, Washington Post, "[Scheidel] draws on mountains of data to examine the social, economic and political forces that have been responsible for the growth of material inequality--and those that have reduced wealth. . . . Fascinating." ---Glenn Altschuler, Huffington Post, "Try The Great Leveler , by Walter Scheidel. In this well-reviewed nonfiction book, the author argues that only catastrophes like pandemics and great, violent upheavals like world wars can ever address economic inequality. Hey, you're depressed anyway. Might as well be educated as to why." ---Randi Kreiss, Long Island Herald, "Reducing inequality by peaceful means looks harder than ever, giving Mr. Scheidel's arguments even greater resonance." ---Buttonwood, The Economist, "One of the most important books on geostrategic trends to have been published in some years. . . . A dark masterpiece, and everyone who thinks about global trends should read it." ---Ian Morris, Stratfor, "A readable and quirky history of economic inequality from the great apes to the modern day.... It is well worth the read. It is, in a word, gripping." --Victoria Bateman, Times Higher Education, "Walter Scheidel's The Great Leveler is a smartly argued book.... For anybody who has ever debated issues related to inequality and their broader meaning, this book provides more than just a powerful thought experiment." --Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, "A new comprehensive and compelling account of the history of inequality by Walter Scheidel suggests that the only means of substantially levelling economic outcomes have been mass mobilisation war, violent revolution, pandemics (think bubonic plagues) and state failure." ---Ryan Bourne, City AM, "He is a formidable global historian for whom no place or period is beyond reach. . . . Scheidel questions whether anything can prevent resurgence and persistence of inequality." ---Avner Offer, Times Literary Supplement, "One by one Scheidel dismisses the non-catastrophic alternatives that have been the focus of virtually every peaceful movement for social justice: democracy, the extension of the franchise, education, economic growth, social democracy, trade unionism and the welfare state. Their effects, he demonstrates, have been comparatively trivial and have never compensated for the inexorable march of inequality." ---J. C. Scott, London Review of Books, "Walter Scheidel's fascinating book about violence and inequality stimulates much thinking about both topics, causing the reader to rethink the inequality debate even aside from violence." ---William Easterly, Journal of Economic Literature, "A bold argument which . . . offers the kind of sweeping, provocative ideas that global history lends itself to well." ---Matt Elton, BBC History Magazine, "In [Scheidel's] magisterial sociopolitical history The Great Leveler , inequality is shown as preferable to the alternative: society levelled by vast upheavals." ---Aaron Reeves, Nature, "A readable and quirky history of economic inequality from the great apes to the modern day. . . . It is well worth the read. It is, in a word, gripping." ---Victoria Bateman, Times Higher Education, One of The Wall Street Journal's What Business Leaders Read in 2017, chosen by Mohamed A. El-Erian, "A perceptive, if grim, explanation for the ever-widening socio-economic gap in America, for the growing practice of paying corporate leaders 300 or 400 times what's paid workers on the shop floor, and for the reasoning behind appointing a Cabinet filled with billionaires. who have little in common with average citizens." ---Bill Mares, Vermont Public Radio, "Mr Scheidel's evidence is so persuasive that readers will find themselves cheering on the Black Death as a boost to median wages." ---Janan Ganesh, Financial Times, It is a very good thing that this book was written as we definitely need to understand inequality and how to avoid it to make this world tolerable., "This shows how inequality has increased across all of human society under every form of political organisation since the Stone Age- except in the wake of mass mobilised warfare or natural catastrophes. Sobering." ---Henry Dimbleby, The Week, " The Great Leveler is a fantastic piece of social science. . . . This is a must-read book for anyone interested in either inequality or in the long-run trajectory of human societies." ---Mark Koyama, Public Choice, "Scheidel's book provides new insights about why inequality is so persistent--and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon." ---Atle Hetland, The Nation, As a supplier of momentary relief, the Great Depression seems an unlikely candidate. . . . Yes, it brought widespread suffering and dreadful misery. But it did not bring death to millions, and in that it stands out. If that counts as relief, you can begin to imagine the scale of the woe that comes before and after. [Scheidel] puts the discussion of increased inequality found in the recent work of Thomas Piketty, Anthony Atkinson, Branko Milanovic and others into a broad historical context and examines the circumstances under which it can be reduced., "Walter Scheidel's The Great Leveler is a smartly argued book. As you may be able to tell from the title, Mr. Scheidel makes the case that throughout history, inequality has led only to terrible things (think pandemics and wars). For anybody who has ever debated issues related to inequality and their broader meaning, this book provides more than just a powerful thought experiment." ---Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times, Walter Scheidel, Winner of the Spengler Prize, The Oswald Spengler Society for the Study of Humanity and World History
Series Volume Number
74
Dewey Decimal
305
Synopsis
Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that it never dies peacefully. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of, Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that it never dies peacefully. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling-mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues-have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent-and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon., Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that it never dies peacefully. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling--mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues--have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent--and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon., How only violence and catastrophes have consistently reduced inequality throughout world history Are mass violence and catastrophes the only forces that can seriously decrease economic inequality? To judge by thousands of years of history, the answer is yes. Tracing the global history of inequality from the Stone Age to today, Walter Scheidel shows that inequality never dies peacefully. Inequality declines when carnage and disaster strike and increases when peace and stability return. The Great Leveler is the first book to chart the crucial role of violent shocks in reducing inequality over the full sweep of human history around the world. Ever since humans began to farm, herd livestock, and pass on their assets to future generations, economic inequality has been a defining feature of civilization. Over thousands of years, only violent events have significantly lessened inequality. The "Four Horsemen" of leveling--mass-mobilization warfare, transformative revolutions, state collapse, and catastrophic plagues--have repeatedly destroyed the fortunes of the rich. Scheidel identifies and examines these processes, from the crises of the earliest civilizations to the cataclysmic world wars and communist revolutions of the twentieth century. Today, the violence that reduced inequality in the past seems to have diminished, and that is a good thing. But it casts serious doubt on the prospects for a more equal future. An essential contribution to the debate about inequality, The Great Leveler provides important new insights about why inequality is so persistent--and why it is unlikely to decline anytime soon.
LC Classification Number
HM821.S235 2018
Item description from the seller
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VAT number: GB 922696893
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- p***e (286)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseCD took a long time to arrive, about 2 weeks. But, it did deliver within the window. Item packed well. CD, case, and inserts are in excellent condition. Item as described by seller. CD plays fine. Purchase was a very good value. Honest trustworthy seller. Responded promptly to my message about shipping. I recommend this seller for great music.
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- l***e (115)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseI recently this from this eBay seller, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. From the prompt communication to the fast shipping, everything was handled with utmost professionalism. The item arrived exactly as described and was well-packaged to ensure its safety during transit. The seller was courteous and responsive, making the entire transaction smooth and hassle-free. I highly recommend this seller to anyone looking for quality products and excellent service
Seller feedback (1,611,392)
- p***e (286)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseCD took a long time to arrive, about 2 weeks. But, it did deliver within the window. Item packed well. CD, case, and inserts are in excellent condition. Item as described by seller. CD plays fine. Purchase was a very good value. Honest trustworthy seller. Responded promptly to my message about shipping. I recommend this seller for great music.
- n***n (1286)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseAWESOME SELLER, EXCELLENT SERVICE! I really appreciate that my order was shipped out & arrived very quickly, it was packed with great care & the book is in very good condition exactly as pictured & described & for such a great price too! Seller had very quick response to a question I had about the tracking for my order & assured me that my order was on its way & would be delivered as promised & it was! I am super-happy with my purchase from this fantastic seller & very highly recommend! Thanks!Super Callanetics: The Advanced Exercise Progr... by Pinckney, Callan 0099890003 (#302516951757)
- l***e (115)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseI recently this from this eBay seller, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. From the prompt communication to the fast shipping, everything was handled with utmost professionalism. The item arrived exactly as described and was well-packaged to ensure its safety during transit. The seller was courteous and responsive, making the entire transaction smooth and hassle-free. I highly recommend this seller to anyone looking for quality products and excellent service