Zooming In at The UnPopulist How the Right and the Left Converged Against Capitalism: A Conversation With John Cassidy
Feb 17, 2026
A wide-ranging chat traces recurring crises in capitalism from industrial times to the AI era. They examine how technological change, financial shocks, and state interventions reshape markets. The conversation spotlights digital fragmentation, AI’s labor risks, and the political realignments that turned economic anger into populist power.
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History Through Its Critics
- John Cassidy framed his book by tracing capitalism's history through its critics, starting from the Industrial Revolution in Northern England.
- He used that critic-focused lens to make a 250-year economic history coherent and accessible.
Recurring Crises And Tech Displacement
- Technological displacement repeats across capitalism's history from Luddites to AI concerns today.
- Financial crises also recur roughly every two decades but differ in mechanics and consequences.
Use History With Local Specificity
- Apply historical critiques carefully to current specifics instead of assuming direct repetition.
- Studying past critics gives frameworks but not precise predictions for new circumstances like stablecoins.
