The Economic Revolutionary: The Life and Legacy of John Maynard Keynes
Episode 1159
In this episode, we profile John Maynard Keynes, the English thinker widely regarded as the "father of macroeconomics" and one of the most influential economists of the 20th century. We trace his journey from a mathematics student at King's College, Cambridge, to the global stage, where his ideas fundamentally changed how governments manage economic crises,.
Join us as we explore:
- The Keynesian Revolution: How the Great Depression drove Keynes to challenge the classical view that free markets automatically provide full employment. We break down his magnum opus, The General Theory, which argued that aggregate demand drives the economy and that government spending is "nature's remedy" for preventing business losses during slumps,.
- The Statesman: From his prescient critique of the Versailles Treaty in The Economic Consequences of the Peace to his pivotal role in designing the World Bank and IMF at the Bretton Woods Conference,.
- The Man and the Investor: Keynes's life as a member of the artistic Bloomsbury Group, his bisexuality and marriage to ballerina Lydia Lopokova, and his remarkable success managing the King’s College endowment,,.
- A Lasting Legacy: The rise of the "Keynesian consensus" after World War II, its decline during the stagflation of the 1970s, and its dramatic resurgence following the 2008 financial crisis,,.
Published on 3 days ago