The Shock Doctrine
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a book published in September 2007 in a German translation from the English capitalism critical book of the Canadian journalist Naomi Klein. The author will carry out checks from contemporary historical examples of how shocks of economic or military nature and natural disasters can be used to over political influence to enforce privatization according to the model of the Chicago School and in particular Milton Friedman in national economies against the politically articulated will of the majority of the population.
Main theses
After an introduction Klein describes in the first chapter of the book, the historical origins of electroconvulsive therapy in psychiatry, and especially the experiments of the psychiatrist Donald Ewen Cameron, who in the 1950s conducted brainwashing experiments on behalf of the CIA, in which the targeted destruction of the personality of patients succeeded in restoring a new identity, however, failed, and draws parallels between these shock therapies, methods of torture and what Klein sees as neo-liberal economy.
In the second chapter Klein discusses the Chicago School and Milton Friedman and the neo-liberal theories. These were basically used by economic shocks, natural disasters or military defeats to to enforce broad privatization and the dismantling of the welfare state mechanisms. According to the exemplary so-called miracle of Chile under Pinochet was the shock doctrine, among other things in the People's Republic of China under Deng Xiaoping in the UK by Margaret Thatcher after the Falklands War, Russia under Boris Yeltsin, New Orleans in the United States after Hurricane Katrina and been applied in Iraq after the American invasion. Detail, it discusses the preparations and comments on the implementation using historically observable events.
In addition to Milton Friedman criticized in Klein's book also Jeffrey Sachs. The theories of these two economists and their practical implementation would be subject to the IMF and World Bank policy based on this would contribute to impoverishment and exploitation in many parts of the world.
Reception
Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote that Klein was not an academic and can not be judged as such. In many places it would simplify too much. Likewise, it would have done but criticized by small shock therapists, as they went out of complete information and perfect markets to justify their policy recommendations.
John N. Gray referred to the book as one of the few, with which the presence could really understand. One of the strengths of the book are the lessons parallels between seemingly unrelated developments.
According to Tyler Cowen, the book offers no arguments, but a Dadaist juxtaposition of themes and ostensibly parallel developments. Many presented by Klein compounds are so impressionistic, relying so heavily on schmeichlerisches wink, that they do not represent in a short book review, did not criticize. Klein's own remark: " I believe people believe Their Own bullshit. Ideology can be a great enabler for greed. " Might be the crux of their own approach.
Johan Norberg sums up the Cato Institute, Klein's main thesis and economic examples held no scrutiny was when it provides less evidence for a succession engineered allegations. Norberg called as a counterexample to the stop of the free-market reforms in China after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989. He contradicts Klein also with regard to the development of global poverty that had fallen against many of their utterances since 1990 to a large extent, this is in accordance, not in contrast to market openings.
Philip Plickert sees the book in a review in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung " as a raging controversy, presenting the facts extremely one-sided and distorted historical contexts ". Small verenge a general human and known from the history Procedure "on an almost conspiratorial considered neoliberalism. Serious events and defeats were always seen as an opportunity and possibility for reform and renewal and used. Renewing ability and innovation of capitalism is not only in terms determine on Milton Friedman and the so-called miracle of Chile. Only in a footnote mention Small Ludwig Erhard economic and monetary reform of 1948, " the German experiment of a shock therapy".
In contrast, Rudolf Walther says in his review for the Frankfurter Rundschau that Klein had gathered in her book, despite weaknesses in the analysis of a wealth of material from which much can be difficult dismissed out of hand in his view. The relationships described by Klein but would remain rather vague.
Felix Lee commented in the taz, Small describe " a virtuoso " and " meticulously " as neoliberalism over the entire world would have in the past 30 years to propagate. With this book, it was definitely the " icon of the anti-globalization movement " has become.
Alexander Cockburn writes that Klein would ignore the significant influence of other, more left- liberal economic theorists on international economic institutions. Small mobilized with detailed and carefully researched outrageous facts, the postulated relationships, however, remained vague, they rüttle their followers and readers to show without alternatives ".
Awards
For the original English edition, " The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism " Naomi Klein was the first recipient of the 2009 Warwick Prize for excellent written publications ( prize money £ 50,000 ), sponsored by the University of Warwick.
Text output
- Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism; Metropolitan Books / Henry Holt, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-8050-7983-8 ( first edition )
- Naomi Klein: The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism; From the Engl; S. Fischer, Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-10-039611-2
Filming
British director Michael Winterbottom turned by Naomi Klein's book a documentary, which premiered at the International Film Festival Berlinale in February 2009. The reviewer taz characterized the film as " a kind of infotainment agitprop ".