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Douglas Carswell
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Progress Vs Parasites: A Brief History of the Conflict that's Shaped our World Kindle Edition

by Douglas Carswell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 109 ratings
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The change in our ancestors' behaviour was barely perceptible at first. Only a few clues in the archaeological record – sea shells, ochre and stone tools exchanged over long distances – hint at what was to come. Today, a network of interdependence and trade spans the planet – lifting most of our species out of the grinding poverty of the past.

But for much of history this engine of human progress stalled, with societies rigged in the interests of small parasitic elites. From the Greeks and Romans in antiquity, to China, India and Europe in the Middle Ages, the history of the world can be written as the constant struggle between the productive and the parasitic.

Progress Vs Parasites charts this struggle. States rise and empires fall as the balance between the two shifts. It is the idea of freedom, Carswell argues, that ultimately allows the productive to escape the parasitic – and thus decides whether a society flourishes or flounders.

A robust defence of classical liberalism, Progress Vs Parasites shows that the greatest threat to human progress today – as it has been in every age – is the idea that human affairs need to be ordered by top down design.
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  1. Print length
    276 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Apollo
  5. Publication date
    13 Jun. 2019
  6. File size
    1578 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product description

Review

'There is remarkable breadth of history in this book, ranging from ancient Greece to the present day' Guardian.

'A passionately expressed set of arguments about why our current political arrangements do not work' Daily Telegraph.

'As a revolutionary text, Carswell's is right up there with the Communist Manifesto' Sunday Times.

'[Carswell] is as genuine a rebel as parliament contains ... So when the revolution comes, metaphorically at least, I will join Douglas at the barricades' The Times.

'Unusual and fascinating' Irish Times.

'Mr Carswell makes his case well' The Economist.

'The big twist is that Carswell thinks that the populist challengers to the status quo [...] are just as bad as the elite that they are trying to replace' Money Week.

About the Author

Douglas Carswell grew up in Uganda. Elected to Parliament four times, for two different parties, he ended up as an independent MP. He stood down from Parliament in 2017, having accomplished what he went into politics to achieve. He is the author of The Plan: Twelve Months to Renew Britain (with Daniel Hannan) and The End of Politics and the Birth of iDemocracy.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07KJDG341
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Apollo; 1st edition (13 Jun. 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1578 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

About the author

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Douglas Carswell

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
109 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book excellent, insightful, and thought provoking. They also appreciate the insightful research.

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ContentResearch
6 customers mention ‘Content’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, thought-provoking, and optimistic.

"Another great read from Carswell that is highly educational and thought-provoking...." Read more

"Progress vs Parasites by Douglas Carswell is a good book about the extent of economic progress, how that economic progress happened and how..." Read more

"An absolute masterpiece. A thorough, research based analysis. A very optimistic piece of literature in these gloomy times...." Read more

"Great read. Some real interesting points and great insights into a huge array of cultures, from their rise, to their fall. Highly recommend it." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Research’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the research in the book insightful and thought provoking. They also appreciate the excellent details and information.

"Another great read from Carswell that is highly educational and thought-provoking...." Read more

"An absolute masterpiece. A thorough, research based analysis. A very optimistic piece of literature in these gloomy times...." Read more

"Great read. Some real interesting points and great insights into a huge array of cultures, from their rise, to their fall. Highly recommend it." Read more

"DC is the brains behind Dan Hannan. His analysis is well done and he does not JSU away from presenting ideas to resolve the problems." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Lolita
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2020
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Another great read from Carswell that is highly educational and thought-provoking. There are things to take issue with but ultimately, being Carswell, it is a paean to freedom from top-down interference in human affairs, and who can argue with that? A really enjoyable book.
5 people found this helpful
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Alan Michael Forrester
5.0 out of 5 stars A good book about the history of government
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2020
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Progress vs Parasites by Douglas Carswell is a good book about the extent of economic progress, how that economic progress happened and how exploitative governments have inhibited progress.

Carswell explains that reducing poverty requires specialisation and exchange that enables more production. An institution that threatens people with physical violence if you don't follow particular rules or give them a cut of your income inhibits economic progress, so governments often act as obstacles to prosperity.

Carswell explains these ideas with historical and current examples and gives references to sources where you can find more information.
6 people found this helpful
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Dave R
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent details and information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 July 2020
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Reading many of the other reviews it's clear to see that many of those 'reviewers' haven't actually read the book and have simply seen the authors name and the word 'Parasite' and have automatically assumed that the term is in reference to the Liberals and Left Wing hardliners, when that couldn't be further from the truth.
2 people found this helpful
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Bartosz
5.0 out of 5 stars An abdolute masterpiece
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2020
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An absolute masterpiece. A thorough, research based analysis. A very optimistic piece of literature in these gloomy times.
Having read the poor reviews from some of the reviewers I wonder whether they actually read the book itself?
Wholeheartedly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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B. Tipper
5.0 out of 5 stars Gets you thinking about the world
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 August 2020
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Great read. Some real interesting points and great insights into a huge array of cultures, from their rise, to their fall. Highly recommend it.
One person found this helpful
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Mr Pye
5.0 out of 5 stars Think and do for yourself
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 July 2020
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DC is the brains behind Dan Hannan. His analysis is well done and he does not JSU away from presenting ideas to resolve the problems.
One person found this helpful
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T. Burkard
2.0 out of 5 stars disappointingly simplistic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 July 2019
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Considering that we studied History at UEA at the same time and that we both belonged to UKIP before the Referendum, I was surprised to find how frequently I strongly disagreed with Carswell's simplistic narrative. On a general level, he portrays the castes of warriors, priests and feudal lords as parasitic without understanding that the taxes they exacted from the peasants were considerably less onerous than being over-run by marauding knights from other realms. In other words, it's not enough to condemn the elites as parasitic without understanding why they existed--they weren't just lotus-eaters. Nor did they necessarily suppress trade.

At a more specific level, Carswell buys the Whig myth of the 'Glorious Revolution' in 1688 without the slightest analysis of this complex and remarkable invasion by a fleet twice the size of the Spanish Armada. He misunderstands the motives of William III completely; he simply wanted the vast resources of Britain to pursue his vendetta against Louis XIV, and he was clever enough to understand that he could get what he wanted from Parliament by playing off Whig against Tory.

We really do need to understand our latter-day parasites, but I'm afraid that this book doesn't go very far beyond the arguments we see every day in the media.
34 people found this helpful
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Pedi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent piece, on of the best release.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2020
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Excellent piece. Really enjoyed reading it especially the China section. Hope there was more books like this out there.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Arty Finkelberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
Reviewed in the United States on 18 February 2024
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The author makes a compelling argument for the advantages of freedom and free enterprise while taking the reader on an incredible tour of world history. Anyone who feels favorably inclined towards socialism needs to read Mr. Carswell’s book.
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Jim Kannianen
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting to see how Venice and Holland became world powers.
Reviewed in the United States on 4 October 2019
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Well written. I learned a lot and will reread it again. I've never looked at governments as parasites but the description fits in many cases. An enjoyable read.
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Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done.
Reviewed in the United States on 9 September 2019
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I appreciate optimism, as there is so much doom and gloom in our world. This book was a veritable breath of fresh air.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Progress Vs Parasites
Reviewed in the United States on 14 September 2019
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Great quality and well packaged. No damage and arrived in a timely manor. No complaints and exactly what I expected and very enlightening!!
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L. Henry
1.0 out of 5 stars Weak suggestions for a better world
Reviewed in the United States on 4 September 2019
Verified Purchase
The book has a good history of criteria for historical periods of good growth around the world. But the suggestions at the end of the book, are weak. I'm disappointed because I expected more original, better suggestions for higher growth in today's world.
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