Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 35 seconds ago
0:00 Introduction to host organisations, introducing Clara Mattei (in German)
3:25 Clara Mattei: Introduction, solidarity words on war in Gaza, meaning of austerity today
14:15 Clara Mattei: Presentation of part I of the book: World War I and crisis
18:18 Clara Mattei: Presentation of part II of the book: The meaning of austerity
40:41 Clara Mattei: Center for Heterodox Economics at the University of Tulsa
43:05 Daniel Witzani-Haim: Take-aways from the book
44:20 Daniel Witzani-Haim: World War I and austerity in Austria in the 1920s
55:32 Daniel Witzani-Haim: Budget situation in Austria today
On 28 March 2025, BEIGEWUM, the Vienna Chamber of Labour, transform! europe and Jacobin magazine hosted the event Does Austerity Lead to Fascism?, featuring a presentation of Clara E. Mattei’s acclaimed book The Capital Order, followed by a public discussion. The event was supported by attac Austria and Brumaire Verlag, which published the German translation of the book.
About the author
Clara E. Mattei is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Heterodox Economics at the University of Tulsa. She received the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize from the American Historical Association for The Capital Order.
About the book
In The Capital Order, Clara E. Mattei reveals that the invention of austerity was primarily aimed at safeguarding capitalist hierarchies and curbing democratic aspirations. Tracing its origins to interwar Britain and Italy, she documents how economists crafted policies to discipline the working population and suppress hopes for social transformation in response to strong labour movements. Strikingly, both British liberalism and Italian fascism implemented similar measures—indeed, liberals often endorsed fascist violence as a necessary means to enforce their shared economic objectives.
About the discussion
In the subsequent discussion, Daniel Witzani-Haim, board member of BEIGEWUM and economist at the Vienna Chamber of Labour, reflected on the implementation of austerity policies in Austria following the First World War and shared insights into current debates around public budget consolidation in Austria.
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Sign up here for the transform! europe newsletter:
👉 transform-network.net/#subscribe-newsletter
And Check out our social media channels:
Instagram - instagram.com/transform_europe
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Facebook - facebook.com/transformeurope
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction to host organisations, introducing Clara Mattei (in German)
3:25 Clara Mattei: Introduction, solidarity words on war in Gaza, meaning of austerity today
14:15 Clara Mattei: Presentation of part I of the book: World War I and crisis
18:18 Clara Mattei: Presentation of part II of the book: The meaning of austerity
40:41 Clara Mattei: Center for Heterodox Economics at the University of Tulsa
43:05 Daniel Witzani-Haim: Take-aways from the book
44:20 Daniel Witzani-Haim: World War I and austerity in Austria in the 1920s
55:32 Daniel Witzani-Haim: Budget situation in Austria today
On 28 March 2025, BEIGEWUM, the Vienna Chamber of Labour, transform! europe and Jacobin magazine hosted the event Does Austerity Lead to Fascism?, featuring a presentation of Clara E. Mattei’s acclaimed book The Capital Order, followed by a public discussion. The event was supported by attac Austria and Brumaire Verlag, which published the German translation of the book.
About the author
Clara E. Mattei is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Heterodox Economics at the University of Tulsa. She received the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize from the American Historical Association for The Capital Order.
About the book
In The Capital Order, Clara E. Mattei reveals that the invention of austerity was primarily aimed at safeguarding capitalist hierarchies and curbing democratic aspirations. Tracing its origins to interwar Britain and Italy, she documents how economists crafted policies to discipline the working population and suppress hopes for social transformation in response to strong labour movements. Strikingly, both British liberalism and Italian fascism implemented similar measures—indeed, liberals often endorsed fascist violence as a necessary means to enforce their shared economic objectives.
About the discussion
In the subsequent discussion, Daniel Witzani-Haim, board member of BEIGEWUM and economist at the Vienna Chamber of Labour, reflected on the implementation of austerity policies in Austria following the First World War and shared insights into current debates around public budget consolidation in Austria.
------
Sign up here for the transform! europe newsletter:
👉 transform-network.net/#subscribe-newsletter
And Check out our social media channels:
Instagram - instagram.com/transform_europe
Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/transformeurope.bsky.social
Facebook - facebook.com/transformeurope
------
Chapters
