He graduated with a first-class honours degree in history in 1985. Read In 2007, Ferguson was appointed as an investment management consultant by GLG Partners, to advise on geopolitical risk as well as current structural issues in economic behaviour relating to investment decisions. Jahrhunderts", in Rainer von Hessen (ed.). [44] Ferguson, in response to this, drew Porter's attention to the conclusion of the book, where he writes: "No one would claim that the record of the British Empire was unblemished. The Wealth of Nations is of course the holy doctrine of free markets. As the world went into lockdown early in 2020, many of us without frontline jobs and lucky enough not to fall sick with Covid-19 found more time to read than usual. Furthermore, Ferguson expressed disagreement with the Sonderweg interpretation of German history championed by some German historians such as Fritz Fischer, Hans-Ulrich Wehler, Hans Mommsen and Wolfgang Mommsen, who argued that the German Empire deliberately started an aggressive war in 1914. It’s a tremendously modern work in the way that it represents the relationship between the media and warfare. Ferguson challenged this, and later the two agreed on a $14,000, 7 to 1 bet, that there would be a recession within five years. [110] Ferguson argued that Trump and Putin should work for the victory of Marine Le Pen (who wants France to leave the EU) and the Front national in the 2017 French elections, arguing that Le Pen was the French politician most congenial to the Trump administration. The Empire produced durable changes and globalisation with steampower, telegraphs, and engineers.[42][43]. I use the term “vulgar Keynesian” deliberately, because I think Keynes would be rather appalled at the way his name is used these days to justify policies that are reckless. If the Yongle emperor had lived longer, or Zheng He had been able to carry on oceanic voyages, perhaps Chinese history would have taken a different direction. [29] GLG is a UK-based hedge fund management firm headed by Noam Gottesman. During a 2018 debate, Ferguson asserted that he is not anti-immigration or opposed to Muslims, but felt that sections of Europe's political and intellectual classes had failed to predict the cultural and political consequences of large scale migration. [62] Ferguson accused London of unnecessarily allowing a regional war in Europe to escalate into a world war. Saturday. "The City of London and British imperialism: New light on an old question", in Youssef Cassis and Eric Bussière (eds.). [144][145] Ferguson and Douglas divorced in 2011. Ferguson married Hirsi Ali on 10 September 2011[146][147] and Hirsi Ali gave birth to their son Thomas in December 2011. The first lecture was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service on Tuesday, 19 June 2012. None of this happened. You can swallow a chapter a night before sleep and your dreams will overflow with scenes of Stendhal's 'The Red and the Black,' Napoleon, Kissinger. Historians and commentators have considered his views on this issue and expressed their critical evaluation in various terms, from "audacious" yet "wrong",[87] "informative",[88] "ambitious" and "troubling", to "false and dangerous" apologia. The Wealth of Nations He was well aware of the dangers of corporations, and particularly of banks. I also regret having written them," Ferguson wrote in a statement to The Daily. Read. [93] Ferguson demanded an apology and threatened to sue Mishra on charges of libel due to allegations of racism. However, he also argued the "real disintegration of Europe" will happen over the EU's migration policies that have both exacerbated and failed to provide solutions to illegal immigration to the European continent from North Africa and the Middle East. [114] Later, after backing the Remain campaign during the referendum, Ferguson changed his mind and came out in support of Britain's exit from the EU. I think there's going to be a wonderful catharsis, I'm really looking forward to it: Trump's humiliation. When I was an undergraduate I went to the Edinburgh festival, and saw a brilliant production of The Last Days of Mankind which changed my life. Honestly, it makes them feel so much better about their lives to think that I'm a reactionary; it's a substitute for thought. "[131], In Spring of 2018, Professor Ferguson was involved with College Republican leaders at Stanford to oppose a Left-leaning student take over of the Cardinal Conversations initiative. [75] The American writer Michael Lind wrote about The Pity of War: Like the historian John Charmley, who expressed the same wish in the case of World War II, Ferguson belongs to the fringe element of British conservatism that regrets the absence of a German-British deal in the first half of the 20th century that would have marginalized the United States and might have allowed the British Empire to survive to this day. I fear we have done no better than our grandfathers did. It is simply false to suggest, as I did, that his approach to economic policy was inspired by any aspect of his personal life. ", "Historian Niall Ferguson named 2012 BBC Reith Lecturer", "Viewpoint: Why the young should welcome austerity", "Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World", "False and dangerous: Revisionist TV history of Britain's empire is an attempt to justify the new imperial order", "A Review of: Colossus by Prof Niall Ferguson", "Colossus by Niall Ferguson: An empire in deep denial", "Niall Ferguson and the Brain Dead American Right", "Niall Ferguson finds the future in the past", "500 Years of GDP: A Tale of Two Countries", "Ideas man America's greatest modern diplomat was also one of its great thinkers", "Niall Ferguson's 'Kissinger. "Introduction to Tzvetan Todorov" in Nicholas Owen (ed.). “No amount of fiscal stimulus will get some people into work, if there is a mismatch between their skills and the skills that are required.”. In May 2012, the BBC announced Niall Ferguson was to present its annual Reith Lectures – a prestigious series of radio lectures which were first broadcast in 1948. [100], Matthew Carr wrote in Race & Class that "Niall Ferguson, the conservative English [sic] historian and enthusiastic advocate of a new American empire, has also embraced the Eurabian idea in a widely reproduced article entitled 'Eurabia? [110], In its edition of 15 August 2005, The New Republic published "The New New Deal", an essay by Ferguson and Laurence J. Kotlikoff, a professor of economics at Boston University. The Economist wrote in a review about The Idealist: "Mr Ferguson, a British historian also at Harvard, has in the past sometimes produced work that is rushed and uneven. Tell me how you understand it in the context of today’s economic climate. [14], In an interview, Ferguson described his relationship with the left: "No, they love being provoked by me! Niall Ferguson has 58 books on Goodreads with 174345 ratings. ',[101] in which he laments the 'de-Christianization of Europe' and the secularism of the continent that leaves it 'weak in the face of fanaticism'." I spent much of my time as a graduate student in an argument with him about German hyperinflation. I don't care about the sex lives of celebrities, so I was a little unprepared for having my private life all over the country. Each of these books made an important contribution to the philosophy of history, as well as to the fields that they are generally more associated with. ", Ferguson research and conclusions have resulted in controversy, particularly from people who hold left-wing politics.[20]. One obvious answer is that China had the potential, in all kinds of respects, to achieve rapid growth through trade. In 400 pages you will have restocked your mind. [99] Wilson charged that Ferguson failed to look at the empire via non-British eyes because to do so would be to challenge his claim that Britain "made the modern world" by imposing its values on "the Other", and that the history of the empire was far more complicated than the simplistic version that Ferguson is trying to present. Read. I rather like Christianity, and am attracted by many aspects of Christ’s teachings. He also stated that Ferguson is a "poseur" who "hasn't bothered to understand the basics, relying on snide comments and surface cleverness to convey the impression of wisdom. "Academics and the Press", in Stephen Glover (ed.). Do you think they would all share one world view or informing principle? [3] He is known for his positive views concerning the British Empire. The book also includes Kissinger's early evaluation of the Vietnam war and his efforts to negotiate with the North Vietnamese in Paris. Though it fought many small wars, the empire maintained a global peace unmatched before or since. The rulers of western Africa prior to the European empires were not running some kind of scout camp. Not here. In leaked emails, he was quoted as asking for opposition research on the student involved. [56] Andrew Roberts praised the book in The New York Times,[57] concluding: "Niall Ferguson already has many important, scholarly and controversial books to his credit. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a … I’m working on that myself. "[138], During the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Ferguson was initially critical of the idea of Britain leaving the EU, warning that "the economic consequences will be dire". He did both archaeology and philosophy, and his insight that historians are re-enacting – even recreating – the past is very profound. by Karl Kraus That propaganda was successful in making men wish to fight (Ferguson argues the opposite). One of Keynes’s points often missed by the vulgar Keynesians of our time is that you have to have a relatively closed economy for the stimulus to work. Ferguson writes and lectures on international history, economic and financial history and British and American imperialism. Foreign intervention—the millions of dollars that have found their way from the Gulf to radical mosques and Islamic centres in the West. [126] The remarks were widely criticised for being offensive, factually inaccurate, and a distortion of Keynes' ideas. “A famous victory,” I wrote the morning after the Murray event. by John Maynard Keynes I was taught at Oxford not to dabble in the present when you study history. From 2010 to 2011, Ferguson held the Philippe Roman Chair in history and international affairs at the London School of Economics. We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview. [61] Ferguson has argued that the British decision to intervene was what stopped a German victory in 1914–15. [22], In 2018, Ferguson apologized after fellow historians criticized him for only inviting white men as speakers to a Stanford conference on applied history. Then there’s the secondary point that many of the issues that we face are structural in nature. These books were the result of original archival research. Fellow travellers—the leftists who line up with the Muslim Brotherhood to castigate Israel at every opportunity. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford in 1989: his dissertation was titled "Business and Politics in the German Inflation: Hamburg 1914–1924".[17]. They have three children: Felix, Freya, and Lachlan. [74] In Ferguson's view, had Germany won World War I, then the lives of millions would have been saved, something like the European Union would have been founded in 1914, and Britain would have remained an empire as well as the world's dominant financial power.[74]. He said that Freudianism was the disease for which it purported to be the cure. "Clashing civilizations or mad mullahs: The United States between informal and formal empire" in Strobe Talbott (ed.). Did Senegal ultimately benefit from French rule? Today, you have an empire in decline in the form of the United States. [50] While researching this book, in early 2007, Ferguson attended a session at a conference in Las Vegas at which a hedge fund manager stated there would never be another recession. [23], Also in 2018, emails documenting Ferguson's attempts to discredit a progressive activist student at Stanford University who had been critical of Ferguson's choices of speakers invited to the Cardinal Conversations free speech initiative were released to the public and University administrators. [47], The German-born American historian Gerhard Weinberg in a review of The Pity of War strongly criticized Ferguson for advancing the thesis that it was idiotic for Britain to have fought a Germany that allegedly posed no danger. [7], Ferguson has written and presented numerous television documentary series, including The Ascent of Money, which won an International Emmy award for Best Documentary in 2009. [152], "War of the World" redirects here. "[133] In February 2019, Ferguson became an advisor for digital asset protocol firm Ampleforth Protocol, saying he was attracted by the firm's plan to "reinvent money in a way that protects individual freedom and to create a payments system that treats everyone equally. [104] Ferguson compared the modern European Union to the Western Roman Empire, describing modern Europe as not that different from the world depicted by Edward Gibbon in his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 3 He has published 15 books, the latest of which is The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power (Allen Lane, 2017). The Last Days of Mankind [104], Ferguson wrote the mass influx of refugees into Europe from Syria was a modern version of the Völkerwanderung when the Huns burst out of Asia and invaded Europe, causing millions of the Germanic peoples to flee into the presumed safety of the Roman Empire, smashing their way in as the Romans attempted unsuccessfully to stop the Germans from entering the empire. Niall Ferguson is one of the world's most renowned historians. by Leo Tolstoy Collingwood was a very eclectic thinker. [20][21] In June 2011, he joined other academics to set up the New College of the Humanities, a private college in London. [77], Ferguson wrote two volumes about the prominent Rothschild family: The House of Rothschild: Volume 1: Money's Prophets: 1798–1848 and The House of Rothschild: Volume 2: The World's Banker: 1849–1999. [127][128], Ferguson posted an apology for these statements shortly after reports of his words were widely disseminated, saying his comments were "as stupid as they were insensitive". Ferguson asks whether the modern state is quietly killing civil society in the Western world, and what non-Western societies can do to build a vibrant civil society. Niall Campbell Douglas Ferguson (Glasgow, 18 april 1964) is een Brits historicus.Hij is gespecialiseerd in financiële en economische geschiedenis, vooral in verschijnselen als hyperinflatie en obligatiemarkten en verder kolonialisme en cultuurgeschiedenis.Ferguson is sinds 2004 hoogleraar aan Harvard en sinds 2011 ook hoogleraar aan de London School of Economics Ferguson also predicted that in a decade's time, Britain would question why there had been fuss, outcry or debates over the manner of how to leave the EU over Brexit because "we'll have left something that was essentially disintegrating" and that "it would be a little bit like getting a divorce and then your ex drops dead, and you spent all that money on the divorce courts, if only you'd known how sick the ex was. See all books authored by Niall Ferguson, including The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, and Civilization: The West and the Rest, and more on ThriftBooks.com. [16] He had become a Thatcherite by 1982. Read "[142], Ferguson married journalist Sue Douglas in 1994 after meeting in 1987 when she was his editor at The Sunday Times. Quotations by Niall Ferguson, British Historian, Born April 18, 1964. Oh dear, we're back in a 1980s student union debate. In 2006, he set up Chimerica Media Ltd.,[28] a London based television production company. War and Peace (Book) Governments, he said, should also follow the lead of business and adopt the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and, above all, generational accounts should be prepared on a regular basis to make absolutely clear the inter-generational implications of current fiscal policy. The French historians Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker were dubious about much of Ferguson's methodology and conclusions in The Pity of War, but praised him for the chapter dealing with the executions of POWs, arguing that Ferguson had exposed a dark side of the war that until then had been ignored. Part of the reason why we had deficits in the first place is that tolerance of deficits had come into Western economics through vulgar Keynesians. Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. "[140][141], In 2020, Ferguson predicted that the EU is destined to become "moribund" in the near future and that the single currency had only benefited Northern Europe and Germany in particular while causing economic havoc in Southern Europe. Why did you choose this? The upper bound of how much it can borrow is reached when interest payments are at more than, say, a quarter of all tax revenues, and that can happen even if interest rates stay reasonably low. [4] He once ironically called himself "a fully paid-up member of the neo-imperialist gang" following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Changes and globalisation with steampower, telegraphs, and the outbreak of the issues that we face are in. Of 2020 he described the Eurozone as a `` disaster waiting to.. 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