An impressive achievement.' Noam Chomsky / 'Doug Dowd's strategy of linking together in a single volume the development of economic ideas and the closely related evolution of economic institutions and policies is carried out with his usual efficiency and wit. This is a work of enlightenment that will be intelligible to students and non- economists.' Edward S. Herman / Written by a leading figure in the world of alternative economics, this book is a critical history of the relationship between economic thought and capitalism from 1750 to the present. The book examines the dynamic interaction of two processes: the historical realities of capitalism and the evolution of economic theory. As Dowd demonstrates, the study of economics celebrates capitalism in ways which make it necessary to classify economic science as pure ideology. Dowd surveys its detrimental impact across the globe and throughout history. / The book includes biographical sketches and brief analyses of the major proponents and critics of capitalism throughout history, including Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, Rosa Luxemburg, John Maynard Keynes, Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, and Eric Hobsbawm.