Description |
vi, 281 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-268) and index. |
Contents |
Introduction: Collapses in General -- What is collapse? -- When will collapse occur? -- What are the stages of collapse? -- 1. Financial Collapse -- The root of the problem -- The wrong math -- Defaults big and small -- The end of money -- Options for cashing out -- Alternatives to money -- How we did it -- Chits, specie and stock-in-trade -- A likely endgame -- Cold-starting instructions -- Beware financial despotism -- Monetary mysticism -- The untrustworthy and the trustful -- Götterdämmerung -- Case Study: Iceland -- 2. Commercial Collapse -- Cascaded failure -- Liar word: efficiency -- Life upside down -- The many advantages of gift -- Money corrupts -- Opportunities for gift-giving -- Meanwhile in Soviet Russia -- The new normal -- A cultural flip -- Case Study: The Russian Mafia -- 3. Political Collapse -- Anarchy's charms -- The nation-state fades out -- National language -- Taking care of your own -- State religion -- Life after the nation-state -- The problem of excessive scale -- The proliferation of defunct states -- Government services disappear -- Denationalization of currency -- What governments are good at -- Warfare becomes self-defeating -- The end of law and order -- The end of the welfare state -- Virtualized politics -- Case Study: The Pashtuns -- 4. Social Collapse -- The limits of community planning -- The new rules -- Social reclamation -- Religion as organizing principle -- Charitable giving and taking -- What society? -- Case Study: The Roma -- 5. Cultural Collapse -- Humans and other animals -- The limits of language -- Spoken memory -- The isolated human -- The primacy of family -- Case Study: The Ik -- Afterword -- Endnotes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author. |
Summary |
When thinking about political paralysis, looming resource shortages and a rapidly changing climate, many of us can do no better than imagine a future that is just less of the same. But it is during such periods of profound disruption that sweeping cultural change becomes inevitable. In The Five Stages of Collapse, Dmitry Orlov posits a taxonomy of collapse, suggesting that if the first three stages (financial, commercial and political) are met with the appropriate personal and social transformations, then the worst consequences of social and cultural collapse can be avoided. Drawing on a detailed examination of both pre- and post-collapse societies, The Five Stages of Collapse provides a unique perspective on the typical characteristics of highly resilient communities. Both successful and unsuccessful adaptations are explored in the areas of finance, commerce, self-governance, social organization and culture. Case studies provide a wealth of specifics for each stage of collapse, focusing on the Icelanders, the Russian Mafia, the Pashtuns of Central Asia, the Roma of nowhere in particular and the Ik of East Africa. The Five Stages of Collapse provides a wealth of practical information and a long list of to-do items for those who wish to survive each stage with their health, sanity, friendships, family relationships and sense of humor intact. Shot through with Orlov's trademark dark humor, this is an invaluable toolkit for crafting workable post-collapse solutions at the scale of the family and the community. |
Subject |
Economic history -- 21st century.
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Social history -- 21st century.
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World politics -- 21st century.
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Economic history. (OCoLC)fst00901974
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Social history. (OCoLC)fst01122498
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World politics. (OCoLC)fst01181381
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Chronological Term |
2000-2099
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Other Form: |
Orlov, Dmitry. Five stages of collapse.: Gabriola, BC, Canada : New Society Publishers, [2013] ©2013 (CaOONL)20170056589 |
ISBN |
9780865717367 (paperback) |
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0865717362 (paperback) |
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9781550925272 (eisbn) |
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155092527X (eisbn) |
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