Overview

The definitive account of how a small Ozarks company upended the world of business and what that change means Wal-Mart, the world's largest company, roared out of the rural South to change the way business is done. Deploying computer-age technology, Reagan-era politics, and Protestant evangelism, Sam Walton's firm became a byword for cheap goods and low-paid workers, famed for the ruthless efficiency of its global network of stores and factories. But the revolution has gone further: Sam's proteges have created a new economic order which puts thousands of manufacturers, indeed whole regions, in thrall to a retail royalty. Like the Pennsylvania Railroad and General Motors in their heyday, Wal-Mart sets the commercial model for a huge swath of the global economy. In this lively, probing investigation, historian Nelson Lichtenstein deepens and expands our knowledge of the merchandising giant. He shows that Wal-Mart's rise was closely linked to the cultural and religious values of Bible Belt America as well as to the imperial politics, deregulatory economics, and laissez-faire globalization of Ronald Reagan and his heirs. He explains how the company's success has transformed American politics, and he anticipates a day of reckoning, when challenges to the Wal-Mart way, at home and abroad, are likely to change the far-flung empire. Insightful, original, and steeped in the culture of retail life, ""The Retail Revolution"" draws on first hand reporting from coastal China to rural Arkansas to give a fresh and necessary understanding of the phenomenon that has transformed international commerce.

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Reviews

&#8220;A terrific book...&nbsp;Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart&#8217;s past but also of the forces shaping its future.&#8221;&#8212; Los Angeles Times &nbsp;&#8220;Offers penetrating insights&#8230; Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart&#8217;s success&#8230; and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company&#8217;s employment practices.&#8230; As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations.&#8221;<br>&#8212; The New York Times Book Review &nbsp;&#8220;Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart&#8217;s metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation&#8217;s dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell.&#8221;&#8212; The American Prospect &nbsp;&#8220;Usefully c

""A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future.""--""Los Angeles Times"" ""Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations."" --""The New York Times Book Review"" ""Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell.""--""The American Prospect"""""" ""Usefully comprehensive... ""The Retail Revolution"" offers the best account yet of the myriad problems that Wal-Mart employees endure."" --""The Big Money"""""" ""Comprehensive socioeconomic history... Lichtenstein paints a convincing portrait of a multinational conglomerate willing to dehumanize people in the pursuit of profit, even as it tries to convince us that people are its No. 1 concern. A definitive survey of Wal-Mart and the company's worldview."" --""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Nelson Lichtenstein has written ""the"" book on Wal-Mart. You can read it as a sober indictment of the rogue company that happens also to be the world's largest corporation. Or you can read it as a brilliantly reported case study in what's gone wrong with the American--and the global--economy. Either way, you will read it, as I did, with complete fascination."" --Barbara Ehrenreich, author of ""Nickel and Dimed"" ""America's wisest historian of business and labor has produced a masterpiece of reportage and analysis about the self-service country store that grew into the biggest merchandiser in the world. ""The Retail Revolution"" is far more than the best book ever written about Wal-Mart. It is a landmark work about the history of our time."" --Michael Kazin, author of ""A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan"" ""This lively yet incisive account of Wal-Mart, one of our era's most important economic institutions, challenges the claim that the company has been a boon to the U.S. economy, providing a thoughtful and much-needed perspective on inequality and insecurity in modern America."" --Sanford M. Jacoby, author of ""The Embedded Corporation"" ""Lichtenstein's calmly critical book sets the rise of Wal-Mart within its broader historical and cultural context, adding a valuable new perspective to the often fraught debate over the role of the world's largest retailer."" --Jonathan Birchall, U.S. consumer correspondent, ""The Financial Times"" ""Nelson Lichtenstein is the paramount authority on the world's largest and most influential company, one that affects the lives of nearly all Americans and has transformed traditional business. In ""The Retail Revolution,"" original research and a profound understanding of American capitalism combine to produce a vivid account not only of how Wal-Mart has changed society, but how society in turn is now changing Wal-Mart."" --Ron Galloway, director of ""Why Wal-Mart Works"" ""Readers wishing to grasp the brave new world of Wal-Mart in all its dimensions can't do better than Nelson Lichtenstein's engrossing and chilling account."" --Robert Kuttner, co-editor of ""The American Prospect"" “A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart’s past but also of the forces shaping its future.”—""Los Angeles Times"" “Offers penetrating insights… Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart’s success… and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company’s employment practices.… As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations.” —""The New York Times Book Review"" “Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart’s metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation’s dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell.”—""The American Prospect"""""" “Usefully c

A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future. -- Los Angeles Times Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations. -- The New York Times Book Review Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell. -- The American Prospect Usefully comprehensive... The Retail Revolution offers the best account yet of the myriad problems that Wal-Mart employees endure. -- The Big Money Comprehensive socioeconomic history... Lichtenstein paints a convincing portrait of a multinational conglomerate willing to dehumanize people in the pursuit of profit, even as it tries to convince us that people are its No. 1 concern. A definitive survey of Wal-Mart and the company's worldview. -- Kirkus Reviews Nelson Lichtenstein has written the book on Wal-Mart. You can read it as a sober indictment of the rogue company that happens also to be the world's largest corporation. Or you can read it as a brilliantly reported case study in what's gone wrong with the American--and the global--economy. Either way, you will read it, as I did, with complete fascination. --Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed America's wisest historian of business and labor has produced a masterpiece of reportage and analysis about the self-service country store that grew into the biggest merchandiser in the world. The Retail Revolution is far more than the best book ever written about Wal-Mart. It is a landmark work about the history of our time. --Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan This lively yet incisive account of Wal-Mart, one of our era's most important economic institutions, challenges the claim that the company has been a boon to the U.S. economy, providing a thoughtful and much-needed perspective on inequality and insecurity in modern America. --Sanford M. Jacoby, author of The Embedded Corporation Lichtenstein's calmly critical book sets the rise of Wal-Mart within its broader historical and cultural context, adding a valuable new perspective to the often fraught debate over the role of the world's largest retailer. --Jonathan Birchall, U.S. consumer correspondent, The Financial Times Nelson Lichtenstein is the paramount authority on the world's largest and most influential company, one that affects the lives of nearly all Americans and has transformed traditional business. In The Retail Revolution, original research and a profound understanding of American capitalism combine to produce a vivid account not only of how Wal-Mart has changed society, but how society in turn is now changing Wal-Mart. --Ron Galloway, director of Why Wal-Mart Works Readers wishing to grasp the brave new world of Wal-Mart in all its dimensions can't do better than Nelson Lichtenstein's engrossing and chilling account. --Robert Kuttner, co-editor of The American Prospect A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future. - Los Angeles Times Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations. - The New York Times Book Review Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell. - The American Prospect Usefully c

A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future. -- Los Angeles Times Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations. -- The New York Times Book Review Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell. -- The American Prospect Usefully comprehensive... The Retail Revolution offers the best account yet of the myriad problems that Wal-Mart employees endure. -- The Big Money Comprehensive socioeconomic history... Lichtenstein paints a convincing portrait of a multinational conglomerate willing to dehumanize people in the pursuit of profit, even as it tries to convince us that people are its No. 1 concern. A definitive survey of Wal-Mart and the company's worldview. -- Kirkus Reviews Nelson Lichtenstein has written the book on Wal-Mart. You can read it as a sober indictment of the rogue company that happens also to be the world's largest corporation. Or you can read it as a brilliantly reported case study in what's gone wrong with the American--and the global--economy. Either way, you will read it, as I did, with complete fascination. --Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed America's wisest historian of business and labor has produced a masterpiece of reportage and analysis about the self-service country store that grew into the biggest merchandiser in the world. The Retail Revolution is far more than the best book ever written about Wal-Mart. It is a landmark work about the history of our time. --Michael Kazin, author of A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan This lively yet incisive account of Wal-Mart, one of our era's most important economic institutions, challenges the claim that the company has been a boon to the U.S. economy, providing a thoughtful and much-needed perspective on inequality and insecurity in modern America. --Sanford M. Jacoby, author of The Embedded Corporation Lichtenstein's calmly critical book sets the rise of Wal-Mart within its broader historical and cultural context, adding a valuable new perspective to the often fraught debate over the role of the world's largest retailer. --Jonathan Birchall, U.S. consumer correspondent, The Financial Times Nelson Lichtenstein is the paramount authority on the world's largest and most influential company, one that affects the lives of nearly all Americans and has transformed traditional business. In The Retail Revolution, original research and a profound understanding of American capitalism combine to produce a vivid account not only of how Wal-Mart has changed society, but how society in turn is now changing Wal-Mart. --Ron Galloway, director of Why Wal-Mart Works Readers wishing to grasp the brave new world of Wal-Mart in all its dimensions can't do better than Nelson Lichtenstein's engrossing and chilling account. --Robert Kuttner, co-editor of The American Prospect

A terrific book... Lichtenstein does a beautiful job of putting Wal-Mart in its historical context... A definitive account not only of Wal-Mart's past but also of the forces shaping its future. -- Los Angeles Times Offers penetrating insights... Lichtenstein sheds valuable light on the technological reasons for Wal-Mart's success... and provides a detailed look at the dark side of the company's employment practices.... As Lichtenstein argues, Wal-Mart may have done more than any other American institution to undermine labor regulations. <br>-- The New York Times Book Review Surely the best account we have of Wal-Mart's metamorphosis from a backwater chain to the nation's dominant corporation... The rise of Wal-Mart, and the national economy it has shaped in its image, is a story that Lichtenstein is eminently suited to tell. -- The American Prospect Usefully comprehensive... The Retail Revolution offers the best account yet of the myriad problems that Wal-Mart employees endu

Author Information

Nelson Lichtenstein is one of the country's leading experts on labor and politics and the editor of a much-cited collection of essays on Wal-Mart. A professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he directs the Center for the Study of Work, Labor, and Democracy, he is also the author of several highly regarded books on American history, including the award-winning ""Walter Reuther: The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit.""

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