The End of the Megamachine: A Brief History of a Failing Civilization

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"A must read for everyone rising against the system that is destroying life on earth and our future." Vandana Shiva, World Future Council The End of the Megamachine provides a uniquely comprehensive picture of the roots of the destructive forces that are threatening the future of humankind today. Spanning 5000 years of history, the book shows how the three tyrannies of militarized states, capital accumulation and ideological power have been steering both ecosystems and societies to the brink of collapse. With the growing instability of the Megamachine in the 21st century, new dangers open up as well as new possibilities for systemic change, to which everyone can contribute. Half Title Title Copyright Contents Introduction The Myths of Modernity The Megamachine Limits of the System Book Structure Part I: The Four Tyrannies 1. POWER—The Four Tyrannies and the Roots of Domination The Three Tyrannies Physical Power Structural Violence Ideological Power The Invention of the Dominating God The Fourth Tyranny 2. METAL—Mining, Armament and Power over Nature The Origins of the Military-Industrial Complex Environmental Disasters Playing God: Metallurgy and Power over Creation 3. THE MARKET—Economic Power, Money and Property The Myth of the Market War as the Cradle of the Market The Laurion Mines The Roman Silver Empire The First Corporations Ownership as Complete Power of Disposition 4. POWERLESSNESS—The Trauma of Power and the Origin of Apocalyptic Thinking What is Trauma? Apocalypse as a Response to the Trauma of Power The Destruction of Heaven and Earth Heavenly Jerusalem and the Sulfur Lake Shattering the Present Objections to the End of the World: The Jesus Movement 5. MISSION—The Origins of Western Universalism The Great Reinterpretation Mission and Power The Destruction of the Other Part II: The Megamachine 6. MONSTERS—The Re-formation of Power and the Emergence of the Modern World-System (1348–1648) The Epoch of Fear The Great Crisis The Arsenal of Venice The Reinvention of War Resurrection of the Metallurgical Complex The Role of Banks Unleashing the Monster Crushing Egalitarian Movements The Invention of the Joint-Stock Company Power and Powerlessness in the Global World-System 7. MACHINE—Mechanistic Sciences, State Apparatuses and the Disciplining of Man (1600–1800) The World as Machine The Role of the Sciences Redefining Reality The Legibility of the World Urban Planning as Counterinsurgency The Human Machine The School as Disciplinary Institution The Invention of Work 8. MOLOCH—Coal Power, Total Market and Total War (1712–1918) Coal: The Third Revolution of the Metallurgical Complex The Total Market Uprooting, Social Trauma and Resistance The Invention of the Nation The Great Expansion “Civilization”: The New Missionary Project The Devastation of Africa India: The Invention of the Third World The Destruction of China by Western Colonial Powers The Path to Total War 9. MASKS—Governing the Great Machine and the Fight for Democracy (1787–1945) USA 1787: The Filter of Representation France 1789: The Filter of Money Haiti 1804: The Filter of Debt The Filter of “Public Opinion” The Issue of System Control Russia 1917 The “Guided Democracy” The German Revolution of 1918–19 The Fascist Option 10. METAMORPHOSES—The Post-war Boom, Resistance Movements and the Limits of the System (1945–...) The Trente glorieuses Independence Movements in the Global South ”Development” as Internal Colonization The World Revolution of 1968 The Great Rollback The Power of Debt The Limits of the System The Ultimate Limitation: The Planet 11. POSSIBILITIES—Exit from the Megamachine Revolution Without a Master Plan Breaking Away from Capital Accumulation Shrinking the Metallurgical and Fossil Fuel Complex The Rediscovery of the Commons The Search for True Democracy Demilitarizing Society Giving up Control over Nature 11. AFTERWORD—The Shadow of the Hydra: Pandemics and the Limits of Expansion Appendix Acknowledgments Endnotes Selected Bibliography Image Sources Timetable A: The Four Tyrannies (Chapters 1–5) Timetable B: Formation of the Global Megamachine (Chapter 6) Timetable C: Consolidation, Expansion and Crises (Chapters 7–9) Timetable D: The Boom and Limits of the Megamachine (Chapters 10–11) About the Author