Cities Capitalism And Civilization

Cities, Capitalism and Civilization looks at the character and distinctiveness of Western Civilization. R.J. Holton sets out to challenge the belief that cities and urban social classes have formed the main component of the advance of civilization, and the principle dynamic of Western capitalism. This book was first published in 1986.

In what ways are cities central to the evolution of contemporary global capitalism? And in what ways is global capitalism forged by the urban experience? This book provides a response to these questions, exploring the multifaceted dimensions of the city-capitalism nexus. Drawing on a wide range of conceptual approaches, including political economy, neo-institutionalism and radical political theory, this insightful book examines the complex relationships between contemporary capitalist cities and key forces of our times, such as globalization and neoliberalism. Taking a truly global perspective, Ugo Rossi offers a comparative analysis of the ways in which urban economies and societies reflect and at the same time act as engines of global capitalism. Ultimately, this book shows how over the past three decades capitalism has shifted a gear – no longer merely incorporating key aspects of society into its system, but encompassing everything, including life itself – and illustrates how cities play a central role within this life-oriented construction of global capitalism.

Using the theoretical tools drawn from historical materialism and deconstruction, Tzouvala offers a comprehensive history of the standard of civilisation.

Front cover images: Bob Hawke, ACTU Congress, 15 September 1979 (Fairfax, © Michael Rayner); Gough Whitlam on the steps of Parliament House, 11 November 1975 (Australian Labor Party); Paul Keating, National Press Club, March 1996 Election Campaign (Newspix); John Curtin, wartime rally, 1942 (Fairfax).Graham Freudenberg, Australia's greatest speechwriter, says "the Australian Labor Party was built on speeches." This book brings together great Labor speeches which give voice to the party's enduring values and achievements, and place it and its principal figures at the centre of historic events.There are speeches that stir the imagination and inspire, speeches that appeal to humanity, speeches of sorrow and redemption, speeches that urge moderation and caution, speeches that call for courage in the face of adversity, speeches that seek to mute the trumpet sound of war, speeches that attack the forces of conservatism, and speeches which celebrate and mourn the party's fallen.Chris Watson articulates Labor's purpose as "a light upon a mountain" - four decades beforeBen Chifley's famed "light on the hill" speech John Curtin tells a hushed parliament that "a great naval battle is proceeding"Gough Whitlam declares "It's time" for a new Labor governmentBob Hawke's urges South Africa's apartheid leaders to listen to "the spirit of men and women yearning to be free"Paul Keating's belief in Labor as "the people who can dream the big dreams and do the big things"Kevin Rudd says "We are Sorry" to the stolen generations of Aboriginal AustraliansClip from the author, reproduced with permission from The Australian:http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2305217661/Labors-greatest-speeches

By examining in detail the material life of pre-industrial peoples around the world, Fernand Braudel significantly changed the way historians view their subject. Originally published in the early 1980s, Civilization traces the social and economic history of the world from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution, although his primary focus is Europe. Braudel skims over politics, wars, etc., in favor of examining life at the grass roots: food, drink, clothing, housing, town markets, money, credit, technology, the growth of towns and cities, and more. Volume I describes food and drink, dress and housing, demography and family structure, energy and technology, money and credit, and the growth of towns.

"In this concise book... Braudel summarizes the broad themes of his three-volume "Civilisation materielle et capitalisme, 1400-1800" and offers his reflections on the historian's craft and on the nature of the historical imagination... Taken as a whole, the book is provocative and stimulating. On occasion, it rises to revelation when two or three sentences of compressed but brilliant prose force us to reconsider the events of an entire century or the history of a continent." -- "American Historical Review."