Richard Lachmann was a Professor at the University of Albany-SUNY and the author of Capitalists in Spite of Themselves: Elite Conflict and Economic Transitions in Early Modern Europe, States and Power and What Is Historical Sociology?

• PrefaceIntroduction: The Problem of DeclineI. Hegemony Past1. Hegemons, Empires, and Their Elites2. Money and Military Success, 1500–18153. Spain and France: Military Dominance Without Hegemony4. The Netherlands: Elites vs. Hegemony5. Britain: Exceptional ReformII. Hegemony Present6. From Consensus to Paralysis in the United States, 1960–20167. The American Military: Without Rival and Without Victory8. The American Economy: Financial CannibalizationIII. After Hegemony9. After DeclineAppendicesIndex

This is a powerful, often brilliant, comparative account of the rise and especially the decline of hegemonic powers, focusing most on the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States. Emphasis is placed on the way in which competing elites within the hegemon pursue their own narrow interests to block effective coping with decline. Particularly sobering and convincing is the bleak outlook presented for the future of the United States.

Richard Lachmann was a Professor at the University of Albany-SUNY and the author of Capitalists in Spite of Themselves: Elite Conflict and Economic Transitions in Early Modern Europe, States and Power and What Is Historical Sociology?

• PrefaceIntroduction: The Problem of DeclineI. Hegemony Past1. Hegemons, Empires, and Their Elites2. Money and Military Success, 1500–18153. Spain and France: Military Dominance Without Hegemony4. The Netherlands: Elites vs. Hegemony5. Britain: Exceptional ReformII. Hegemony Present6. From Consensus to Paralysis in the United States, 1960–20167. The American Military: Without Rival and Without Victory8. The American Economy: Financial CannibalizationIII. After Hegemony9. After DeclineAppendicesIndex

This is a powerful, often brilliant, comparative account of the rise and especially the decline of hegemonic powers, focusing most on the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States. Emphasis is placed on the way in which competing elites within the hegemon pursue their own narrow interests to block effective coping with decline. Particularly sobering and convincing is the bleak outlook presented for the future of the United States.

Richard Lachmann was a Professor at the University of Albany-SUNY and the author of Capitalists in Spite of Themselves: Elite Conflict and Economic Transitions in Early Modern Europe, States and Power and What Is Historical Sociology?

• PrefaceIntroduction: The Problem of DeclineI. Hegemony Past1. Hegemons, Empires, and Their Elites2. Money and Military Success, 1500–18153. Spain and France: Military Dominance Without Hegemony4. The Netherlands: Elites vs. Hegemony5. Britain: Exceptional ReformII. Hegemony Present6. From Consensus to Paralysis in the United States, 1960–20167. The American Military: Without Rival and Without Victory8. The American Economy: Financial CannibalizationIII. After Hegemony9. After DeclineAppendicesIndex

This is a powerful, often brilliant, comparative account of the rise and especially the decline of hegemonic powers, focusing most on the Netherlands, Britain, and the United States. Emphasis is placed on the way in which competing elites within the hegemon pursue their own narrow interests to block effective coping with decline. Particularly sobering and convincing is the bleak outlook presented for the future of the United States.