Abstract
In the introduction to his short book, a brief history of neoliberalism, David Harvey (2005, 1) observes “Future historians may well look upon the years 1978–80 as a revolutionary turning point in the world’s social and economic history.” Four significant events acted like epicenters in the unfolding of the transformation of the postwar order: in 1978, Deng Xiaoping took the first steps toward liberalizing the Chinese economy; in 1979, Paul Volcker took command of the U.S. Federal Reserve and changed monetary policy while in that same year Margaret Thatcher took on the power of the unions and pledged to end inflationary stagnation. Harvey writes, “In 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States and, armed with Volcker’s policies, set about implementing a set of reforms that were aimed at curbing union power, deregulating industry, and creating more liberal conditions for finance to operate on the national and the global stage. From these several epicenters, revolutionary impulses seemingly spread and reverberated to remake the world around us in a totally different image” (Harvey 2005, 1).
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Global Assault on Teaching, Teachers, and their Unions |
Subtitle of host publication | Stories for Resistance |
Editors | Mary Compton, Lois Weiner |
Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
Pages | 11-27 |
Number of pages | 17 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780230611702 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780230606319 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2008 |
Externally published | Yes |