Nationalists think about the economy, Marvin Suesse argues, and this thinking matters once nationalists hold political power. Many nationalists seek to limit global exchange, but others prioritise economic development. The potential conflict between these two goals shapes nationalist policy making. Drawing on historical case studies from thirty countries - from the American Revolution to the rise of China - this book paints a broad panorama of economic nationalism over the past 250 years. It explains why such thinking has become influential, despite the internal contradictions and chequered record of many nationalist policy makers. At the root of economic nationalism's appeal is its ability to capitalise upon economic inequality, both domestic and international. These inequalities are reinforced by political factors such as empire building, ethnic conflicts, and financial crises. This has given rise to powerful nationalist movements that have decisively shaped the global exchange of goods, people, and capital.
Nationalists think about the economy, Marvin Suesse argues, and this thinking matters once nationalists hold political power. Many nationalists seek to limit global exchange, but others prioritise economic development. The potential conflict between these two goals shapes nationalist policy making. Drawing on historical case studies from thirty countries - from the American Revolution to the rise of China - this book paints a broad panorama of economic nationalism over the past 250 years. It explains why such thinking has become influential, despite the internal contradictions and chequered record of many nationalist policy makers. At the root of economic nationalism's appeal is its ability to capitalise upon economic inequality, both domestic and international. These inequalities are reinforced by political factors such as empire building, ethnic conflicts, and financial crises. This has given rise to powerful nationalist movements that have decisively shaped the global exchange of goods, people, and capital.
'America First. Getting Brexit Done. These slogans illustrate that we live an era of economic nationalism. The Nationalist Dilemma is an insightful, erudite, timely, and lucid account of the global history of this concept from Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump.' John Turner, author of Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles 'This wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and topical survey provides an excellent introduction to the many varieties of economic nationalism that have emerged over the past 250 years.' Kevin O'Rourke, author of Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium
'America First. Getting Brexit Done. These slogans illustrate that we live an era of economic nationalism. The Nationalist Dilemma is an insightful, erudite, timely, and lucid account of the global history of this concept from Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump.' John Turner, author of Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles
'This wide-ranging, thought-provoking, and topical survey provides an excellent introduction to the many varieties of economic nationalism that have emerged over the past 250 years.' Kevin O'Rourke, author of Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium
Marvin Suesse is Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in international political economy. He has published on nationalism in the post-Soviet states, regional integration in Eastern Europe, cooperatives in Imperial Germany, and state-building in sub-Saharan Africa.
Marvin Suesse is Assistant Professor of Economics at Trinity College Dublin, specialising in international political economy. He has published on nationalism in the post-Soviet states, regional integration in Eastern Europe, cooperatives in Imperial Germany, and state-building in sub-Saharan Africa.
1. Introduction: nationalists think about the economy; 2. The American community of the common man, 1776-1860; 3. The birth of the national economy in Europe, 1789-1860; 4. The globalisation of the nation, 1861-1913; 5. The nationalist as saviour, 1914-1945; 6. Policy in a world of nation-states, 1946-1978; 7. The incomplete building of a global economy, 1979-2001; 8. Populist discontents, 2002-2021; 9. Conclusion and outlook: explaining economic nationalism; References; Index.
