Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism

Written by David Harvey

Narrated by James Cameron Stewart

To modern Western society, capitalism is the air we breathe, and most people rarely think to question it, for good or for ill. But knowing what makes capitalism work—and what makes it fail—is crucial to understanding its long-term health, and the vast implications for the global economy that go along with it.



In Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism, the eminent scholar David Harvey, author of A Brief History of Neoliberalism, examines the internal contradictions within the flow of capital that have precipitated recent crises. He contends that while the contradictions have made capitalism flexible and resilient, they also contain the seeds of systemic catastrophe. Many of the contradictions are manageable, but some are fatal: the stress on endless compound growth, the necessity to exploit nature to its limits, and tendency toward universal alienation. Capitalism has always managed to extend the outer limits through "spatial fixes," expanding the geography of the system to cover nations and people formerly outside of its range. Whether it can continue to expand is an open question, but Harvey thinks it unlikely in the medium term future: the limits cannot extend much further, and the recent financial crisis is a harbinger of this.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705242209

David Harvey

David Harvey is a well-respected and authoritative author who has written extensively for Classic Bus magazine and has had many previous transport titles published by Amberley. He lives in Dudley in the West Midlands.

Reviews for Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism

[Thor · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Comprehensive and coherent, addresses the destitution of our current world and explains how to better it. Could not recommend more highly.

[paul_s-289480 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I don't know why all the Marxists I read so far gave the impression that when they point out some characteristic of capitalism they are being clever. No one is disputing these, and none of them are some hidden feature you have suddenly uncovered. In fact on most of them fans of capitalism will wholeheartedly agree with you.

And yes, most of them are just that, characteristics, not contradictions - this attempt to redefine a basic word is tortuous and pointless.

Almost the whole book is describing dynamics of capitalism, pointing out it's shortcomings. In the last couple of pages the author provides some goals he tries to pass off as practical solutions. It's as if I suggested that we should have world peace. That is not a solution.

How about you reverse the ratio? Spend a couple of pages to describe the faults with capitalism that you want to solve and then spend the rest of the book suggesting your alternative solutions.

[csaavedra_894108 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harvey at his best. You don't need to agree with all of his analysis or his ideological basis to recognize the depth of his understanding of the inherent contradictions in capital. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the state of the world today and how capitalism shapes not only our relation to the material, nature, and others, but also our own ideologies and beliefs.