Book Review: N. Klein: The Shock Doctrine
Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (2007) is a really powerful critique of neoliberal economic policies imposing in times of crisis. She argues that governments and corporations take advantage of social and political upheaval. They do so to push through free-market reforms that primarily benefit the elite. Klein traces this strategy to economist Milton Friedman and the Chicago School of Economics. She shows how crises dismantle public institutions and privatise essential services. It is a tough book to read, but also full of information on political circumstances since the 1970ies.
The Origins of Shock Doctrine
Klein’s theory takes a lot of inspiration from Friedman’s idea that you need a “shock treatment” to quickly change the economy. She explains how this was first tried out in Chile after the 1973 coup that got rid of Salvador Allende. The military government of Augusto Pinochet, advised by Friedman’s followers, made some extreme free-market changes. They did things like privatising and deregulating, but this led to a lot of social inequality and repression. Klein says that this model was later used in other places facing crises, showing that economic shocks are not random but are used as a strategy.
Case Studies of Disaster Capitalism
In her book, Klein talks about how “disaster capitalism” works in practice. She explains how Russia, under Boris Yeltsin, quickly switched to a market economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. This led to oligarchic control and mass poverty. Klein also looks at the U.S. occupation of Iraq, where state-run industries were dismantled to make way for corporate control. She also looks at what happened in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Privatised public housing and education made it easier for corporations to take advantage of the situation. These examples show how crises push through policies that might not work as well in normal times.
Criticism and Lasting Impact
The Shock Doctrine received praise for its in-depth research, but some critics say that Klein makes things sound too simple by showing neoliberalism as a single, strong force. Others think she doesn’t give enough credit to things like internal corruption and bad management in the countries affected. But even with these criticisms, her work is still a really important read when it comes to talking about globalisation and economic policy. She’s still got a lot to say about how societies need to be watchful against economic policies that help the rich at the expense of the poor, and that’s a pretty relevant warning.
Worth the read?
So is it worth reading? It is a very intense book and you definitely need more than a weekend to read it, especially if you are not just going to skim over what she has written. Nevertheless, I think it is a well-researched and well-written book about current and past political mechanisms, and I think especially today we need to understand these mechanisms more than ever.
Naomi Klein is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of nine critically acclaimed books published in over 35 languages. She is also a professor of climate Justice at the University of British Columbia.
