Capitalism in chaos : how the business elites of Europe prospered in the era of the Great War

**__Capitalism in Chaos__** **explores an often-overlooked consequence and paradox of the First World War—the prosperity of business elites and bankers in service of the war effort during the destruction of capital and wealth by belligerent armies.** This study of business life amidst war and massive geopolitical changes follows industrialists and policy makers in Central Europe as the region became crucially important for German and subsequently French plans of economic and geopolitical expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Based on extensive research in sixteen archives, five languages, and four states, Maté Rigó demonstrates that wartime destruction and the birth of "war millionaires" were two sides of the same coin. Despite the recent centenaries of the Great War and the Versailles peace treaties, knowledge of the overall impact of war and border changes on business life remain sporadic, based on scant statistics and misleading national foci. Consequently, most histories remain wedded to the viewpoint of national governments and commercial connections across national borders. __Capitalism in Chaos__ changes the static historical perspective by presenting Europe's East as the economic engine of the continent. Rigó accomplishes this paradigm shift by focusing on both supranational regions—including East-Central and Western Europe—as well as the eastern and western peripheries of Central Europe, Alsace-Lorraine and Transylvania, from the 1870s until the 1920s. As a result, __Capitalism in Chaos__ offers a concrete, lively history of economics during major world crises, with a contemporary consciousness towards inequality and disparity during a time of collapse.

Capitalism in Chaos exploresan often-overlooked consequence and paradox of the First WorldWar-the prosperity of business elites and bankers in service of thewar effort during the destruction of capital and wealth bybelligerent armies. This study of business life amid warand massive geopolitical changes follows industrialists andpolicymakers in Central Europe as the region became cruciallyimportant for German and subsequently French plans of economic andgeopolitical expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentiethcenturies.

Based on extensive research in sixteen archives, five languages,and four states, Máté Rigó demonstrates that wartime destructionand the birth of "war millionaires" were two sides of the samecoin. Despite the recent centenaries of the Great War and theVersailles peace treaties, knowledge of the overall impact of warand border changes on business life remains sporadic, based onscant statistics and misleading national foci. Consequently, mosthistories remain wedded to the viewpoint of national governmentsand commercial connections across national borders.

Capitalism in Chaos changes the static historicalperspective by presenting Europe's East as the economic engine ofthe continent. Rigó accomplishes this paradigm shift by focusing onboth supranational regions-including East-Central and WesternEurope-as well as the eastern and western peripheries of CentralEurope, Alsace-Lorraine and Transylvania, from the 1870s until the1920s. As a result, Capitalism in Chaos offers a concrete,lively history of economics during major world crises, with acontemporary consciousness toward inequality and disparity during atime of collapse.

Capitalism in Chaos explores an often-overlooked consequence and paradox of the First World War―the prosperity of business elites and bankers in service of the war effort during the destruction of capital and wealth by belligerent armies. This study of business life amid war and massive geopolitical changes follows industrialists and policymakers in Central Europe as the region became crucially important for German and subsequently French plans of economic and geopolitical expansion in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Based on extensive research in sixteen archives, five languages, and four states, Máté Rigó demonstrates that wartime destruction and the birth of "war millionaires" were two sides of the same coin. Despite the recent centenaries of the Great War and the Versailles peace treaties, knowledge of the overall impact of war and border changes on business life remains sporadic, based on scant statistics and misleading national foci. Consequently, most histories remain wedded to the viewpoint of national governments and commercial connections across national borders. Capitalism in Chaos changes the static historical perspective by presenting Europe's East as the economic engine of the continent. Rigó accomplishes this paradigm shift by focusing on both supranational regions―including East-Central and Western Europe―as well as the eastern and western peripheries of Central Europe, Alsace-Lorraine and Transylvania, from the 1870s until the 1920s. As a result, Capitalism in Chaos offers a concrete, lively history of economics during major world crises, with a contemporary consciousness toward inequality and disparity during a time of collapse. "This book is about the survival of industrial families in Western and East-Central Europe despite the First World War and collapse of the Austro-Hungarian and German empires. More specifically, the book draws on case studies of industrialists in Alsace-Lorraine and Transylvania that speak to French, German, Austro-Hungarian and Romanian history more generally between 1867 and 1928"-- Provided by publisher