J. Adam Tooze

A centenary analysis of World War I and its aftermath explores how the conflict fundamentally changed the world, shifting financial systems to America while transforming economic and political strategies in numerous countries. Includes two maps. By the author of The Wages of Destruction. 25,000 first printing. Illustrations. Map(s).

The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931

The Deluge

the central thesis of the volume is that the origins of contemporary american hegemony was the great war. tooze argues rigourously to prove the hegemonic stability theory, in which a large power anchors the rest of the world (very hobbesian!)

it also puts to bed that america was the successor to the british empire. in name, yes. in practice, the power of america is unlike any other empire in history — by sheer geography (it faces the two largest oceans) and demography, financial prowess, and the network effects that come with it. financially, at the turn of the 1920s, the rest of the world were literally indebted to america in billions.

the volume starts in the middle of the great war. the an anglo-franco axis are in standoff with the central powers, composed of the remnants of the prussian and ottoman empire. they are largely at a standstill, but america is brought to the fore when wilson sees an opportunity to raise the position of america into a truly all-encompassing global power. although largely still isolationist, his strategy was to bankroll the entente and create an international framework from which they could keep their distance and let operate autonomously.

the book also showed how mass enfranchisement unlike anything seen in history reared its ugly head in movements which claimed to represent the general will (nazism, fascism, soviet communism)

another big takeaway from this is my god what a bunch of fuckwads the french are for consistently breaking down the american liberal order – showing how hard it is to get an ally to tow the line. we cannot take a liberal international order for granted. and damn is this relevant in 2025 as international norms are ignored and violated. although largely imperfect, the alternative to it is a simple order of might making right, in which states can arbitrarily make claim to lebensraum and resources, directly infringing on sovereignty. an imperfect, performative rights-based order is preferential to one in which norms can change at a whim and there are no safeguards in place.

“the mountains surround the city” comes to mind as tooze recounts various communist movements and their eventual concession of an urban elite to the agrarian mass in china and russia. tooze also explained that although large labour movements appeared throughout the deluge, they were constantly suppressed by the more powerful capitalists and realities of economics that raised prices and wages into abyssal hyperinflation. for example, in light of inflationary pressures, the fed refused to walk the line of industrial unionism, instead showing a preference for capital, and squeezing credit (increasing interest rates) leaving the rest of the world dry (hello modern monetary theory!)

another thing i found fascinating is how the values-based cleavage between capitalism and communism has its roots not in simple international relation terms, but they originated from intra-party politics. the republicans had apparently used demagogic rhetoric against leftism since the 1920s simply because it made the democratic president then look bad! talk about negative polarisation

tooze also makes the case that post-league of nations, american isolationism by way of FDR’s new dealism led to, yes, disarray, but they were then better positioned, for better or worse, with a larger state that can function as a truly omniscient hegemon

i do have to say that i came away from this book with an appreciation for the american liberal international order, with a LARGE CAVEAT that it is in no way perfect. an alternative in our present moment is that of pax sinica, but i am unsure if it will be any better, and that if it is, the veneer of liberal plurality it espouses necessarily had to be “worked through” american liberal imperialism

i also enjoyed how much the rest of europe regarded the german state in deep contempt and disdain

Ghee

the central thesis of the volume is that the origins of contemporary american hegemony was the great war. tooze argues rigourously to prove the hegemonic stability theory, in which a large power anchors the rest of the world (very hobbesian!)

it also puts to bed that america was the successor to the british empire. in name, yes. in practice, the power of america is unlike any other empire in history — by sheer geography (it faces the two largest oceans) and demography, financial prowess, and the network effects that come with it. financially, at the turn of the 1920s, the rest of the world were literally indebted to america in billions.

the volume starts in the middle of the great war. the an anglo-franco axis are in standoff with the central powers, composed of the remnants of the prussian and ottoman empire. they are largely at a standstill, but america is brought to the fore when wilson sees an opportunity to raise the position of america into a truly all-encompassing global power. although largely still isolationist, his strategy was to bankroll the entente and create an international framework from which they could keep their distance and let operate autonomously.

the book also showed how mass enfranchisement unlike anything seen in history reared its ugly head in movements which claimed to represent the general will (nazism, fascism, soviet communism)

another big takeaway from this is my god what a bunch of fuckwads the french are for consistently breaking down the american liberal order – showing how hard it is to get an ally to tow the line. we cannot take a liberal international order for granted. and damn is this relevant in 2025 as international norms are ignored and violated. although largely imperfect, the alternative to it is a simple order of might making right, in which states can arbitrarily make claim to lebensraum and resources, directly infringing on sovereignty. an imperfect, performative rights-based order is preferential to one in which norms can change at a whim and there are no safeguards in place.

“the mountains surround the city” comes to mind as tooze recounts various communist movements and their eventual concession of an urban elite to the agrarian mass in china and russia. tooze also explained that although large labour movements appeared throughout the deluge, they were constantly suppressed by the more powerful capitalists and realities of economics that raised prices and wages into abyssal hyperinflation. for example, in light of inflationary pressures, the fed refused to walk the line of industrial unionism, instead showing a preference for capital, and squeezing credit (increasing interest rates) leaving the rest of the world dry (hello modern monetary theory!)

another thing i found fascinating is how the values-based cleavage between capitalism and communism has its roots not in simple international relation terms, but they originated from intra-party politics. the republicans had apparently used demagogic rhetoric against leftism since the 1920s simply because it made the democratic president then look bad! talk about negative polarisation

tooze also makes the case that post-league of nations, american isolationism by way of FDR’s new dealism led to, yes, disarray, but they were then better positioned, for better or worse, with a larger state that can function as a truly omniscient hegemon

i do have to say that i came away from this book with an appreciation for the american liberal international order, with a LARGE CAVEAT that it is in no way perfect. an alternative in our present moment is that of pax sinica, but i am unsure if it will be any better, and that if it is, the veneer of liberal plurality it espouses necessarily had to be “worked through” american liberal imperialism

i also enjoyed how much the rest of europe regarded the german state in deep contempt and disdain

The Deluge The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931

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