{"product_id":"the-politics-of-utopia-arnaud-orain-9780226825359","title":"The Politics of Utopia: A New History of John Law's System, 1695-1795","description":"\u003cb\u003eA fascinating retelling of the first banking and financial collapse in eighteenth-century France.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The Scottish economist John Law has been described as the architect of modern central banking. His \"System,\" established in Regency France between 1716 and 1720, saw the founding of a bank issuing paper money and the establishment of state commercial and colonial enterprises aimed at consolidating public debt. What at first seemed like financial wizardry, however, resulted in rampant speculation and, ultimately, economic collapse. In \u003ci\u003eThe Politics of Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e, historian Arnaud Orain offers a provocative rereading of this well-known episode. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Starting his story in the seventeenth century, Orain reconstructs the figures and ideas, long predating Law, that anticipated and laid the groundwork for the System, which, he argues, is best understood as a failed social utopia aimed at the total transformation of society. Overturning familiar narratives of this seismic event, this book rewrites a stunning chapter in economic history by dealing with the cultural, colonial, religious, and political dimensions of the (in)famous System up to the French Revolution, revealing new lessons for today's fraught financial landscape.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Arnaud Orain\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0226825353\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780226825359\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Chicago Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/31\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 344\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d","brand":"Arnaud Orain","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46024893202687,"sku":"9780226825359","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b13a91aa-8afa-4349-8ba0-329a0ee49944.jpg?v=1723129468","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-politics-of-utopia-arnaud-orain-9780226825359","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}