Overview

This book comprises a collection of essays that delves into the economic history of Europe since the 1970s, offering a fresh perspective on the period by examining the interplay between universalist and particularist claims to validity. By exploring how these claims were constructed, justified, and contested, this book sheds new light on the ways they shaped political and social change in contemporary European history. Through a critical analysis of the economy as a dynamic field, the essays uncover the complexities of universalist and particularist concepts, their interactions, and the tensions they generate, providing a nuanced understanding of their role in shaping modern Europe. Focusing on the intersection of economic history, political theory, and social change, this book will appeal to students, scholars, and readers interested in European history, economic thought, and the evolution of contemporary political ideologies. It is particularly relevant for those studying the historical roots of current debates on globalization, identity, and the challenges to universalist ideals in an increasingly fragmented world. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the European Review of History.

Full Product Details

Author:   Kiran Klaus Patel (Ludwig Maximilian University, Germany)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.550kg
ISBN:  

9781041311232

ISBN 10:   1041311230
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   18 May 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction - Between collapse, integration and co-transformation: universalist and particularist economic ideas and practices in Europe since the 1970s 1. Can Western economics survive in an anti-Western regime? Intellectual universalism and the internationalization of economic science in Russia 2. From the Washington Consensus to the Warsaw Consensus: ‘shock therapies’ as a neoliberal success story 3. Western trade unions confronting multinational corporations (MNCs), international regulations and the defence of special interests (1970–95) 4. Universalizing the social market economy c.1978: stepping away from institutions and towards discourse 5. How universalism and particularism clashed in East Germany in the 1990s: a case study in post-communist privatization from rural Lusatia 6. Universalizing particularisms: the EC quest to establish wine appellations of origin as global practice 7. ‘Desafio’ or ‘modelo’? The European Union’s international trade and Brazil, 1980s–90s 8. Marketizing climate risk: an actuarial history of the European Union emissions trading system

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Author Information

Kiran Klaus Patel holds the chair for modern history at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich where he is also one of the co-directors of the Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences: Universalism and Particularism in Contemporary European History.

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