John Adam Tooze (born 5 July 1967) is an English historian who is a professor at
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, Director of the
European Institute and nonresident scholar at
Carnegie Europe. Previously, he was Reader in Twentieth-Century History at the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
and Gurnee Hart Fellow in History at
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...
.
After leaving Cambridge in 2009, he spent six years at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
as Professor of Modern German History and Director of International Security Studies at the
MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, succeeding
Paul Kennedy
Paul Michael Kennedy (born 17 June 1945) is a British historian specialising in the history of international relations, economic power and grand strategy. He is on the editorial board of numerous scholarly journals and writes for ''The New Y ...
. Through his books (such as ''Crashed'') and his online newsletter (Chartbook), he reaches a varied audience of historians, investors, administrators, and others.
Early life
Tooze was born on 5 July 1967 to British parents who met at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
. His maternal grandparents were the social researchers
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
and Margaret Wynn, who together wrote a study of the financial connections of the
Conservative Party establishment. Arthur was also a civil servant and recruiter of Soviet spies at
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
.
Tooze's father was a molecular biologist who worked in Heidelberg,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, where Tooze spent much of his childhood. He had an early interest in engineering and an aspiration to design engines for race cars. A precocious student, at secondary school he was permitted to teach a class on
Keynesian
Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output an ...
modelling.
Education and research
After studying at
Highgate School
Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is a co-educational, fee-charging, private day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate Pre-Preparato ...
from 1983 to 1985,
Tooze graduated with a BA in economics from
King's College, Cambridge
King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
in 1989. He then studied at the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...
before moving to the
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
for a doctorate in economic history under the supervision of
Alan Milward.
In 2002 Tooze was awarded a
Philip Leverhulme Prize
The Philip Leverhulme Prize is awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to recognise the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. The prize sche ...
for Modern History following the publication of his first book, ''Statistics and the German State, 1900–1945: The Making of Modern Economic Knowledge''. He first came to prominence for his economic study of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
, ''
The Wages of Destruction'', which was one of the winners of the 2006
Wolfson History Prize, and a broad-based history of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
with ''
The Deluge'', published in 2014. He then widened his scope to study the financial crash of 2008 and its economic and geopolitical consequences with ''Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World'', published in 2018, for which he won the 2019
Lionel Gelber Prize.
Tooze writes for numerous publications, including the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'', ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of Book ...
'', ''
New Left Review
The ''New Left Review'' is a British bimonthly journal, established in 1960, which analyses international politics, the global economy, social theory, and cultural topics from a leftist perspective.
History Background
As part of the emergin ...
'', ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', ''
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
''
Surplus and ''
Die Zeit
(, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles.
History
The first edition of was ...
''. Since 2022 he sits on the board of the ZOE Institute for Future-fit economies.
''Ones and Tooze'' Podcast
Since September 2021, Tooze hosts the podcast, ''Ones and Tooze'', together with Cameron Abadi, a deputy editor at ''
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...
''. Episodes typically last 30-60 minutes and are published weekly on Fridays.
Personal life
Tooze is a grandson of the British civil servant and Soviet spy,
Arthur Wynn and his wife, Peggy Moxon. Tooze's 2006 book, ''
The Wages of Destruction'', is dedicated to them.
Honours
* H-Soz-Kult Prize for Modern History (2002)
*
Philip Leverhulme Prize
The Philip Leverhulme Prize is awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to recognise the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. The prize sche ...
(2002)
*
Wolfson History Prize (2006)
* Longman History Today Prize (2007)
*
''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize for History (2015)
*
Jean Monnet Programme - Awarded a Center of Excellence as Director of the European Institute at the Columbia University (2018)
*
Lionel Gelber Prize (2019)
*
Hans-Matthöfer-Preis für Wirtschaftspublizistik (2019)
* Preis für Wirtschaftspublizistik der
Keynes-Gesellschaft (2023)
Bibliography
Books
*
Statistics and the German State, 1900–1945: The Making of Modern Economic Knowledge' (Cambridge Studies in Modern Economic History), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Translated in German.
* ''
The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy'', London: Allen Lane, 2006. Translated in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Russian.
* ''
The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916–1931'', London: Allen Lane, 2014. Translated in German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Chinese and Russian.
* ''Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World'', London: Allen Lane and New York: Viking, August 2018. Translated in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian and Greek.
* ''Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy'', Allen Lane, Sep 7 2021.
;As editor:
* ''Cambridge History of World War II. Volume 3'' with
Michael Geyer, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
* ''Normalität und Fragilität: Demokratie nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg'' with Tim B. Müller, Hamburg: Hamburger Editionen, 2015.
Newsletter
*
Essays and reporting
* "Is this the end of the American century? America Pivots", ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of Book ...
'', 4 April 2019.
* "Democracy and Its Discontents", ''
The New York Review of Books
''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of ...
'', 6 June 2019.
* Additional, ongoing series of original articles written on his website after the publication of ''Crashed'', entitled ''Framing Crashed''.
* "Whose century?", ''
London Review of Books
The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published bimonthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews.
History
The ''London Review of Book ...
'', vol. 42, no. 15 (30 July 2020), pp. 9–13. Tooze closes (p. 13): "Can
he USfashion a domestic political bargain to enable the US to become what it currently is not: a competent and co-operative partner in the management of the collective risks of the
Anthropocene
''Anthropocene'' is a term that has been used to refer to the period of time during which human impact on the environment, humanity has become a planetary force of change. It appears in scientific and social discourse, especially with respect to ...
. This is what the
Green New Deal
The Green New Deal (GND) calls for public policy to address climate change, along with achieving other social aims like job creation, economic growth, and reducing economic inequality.
The name refers to the New Deal, a set of changes and ...
promised. After the shock of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
it is more urgent than ever."
Book reviews
References
External links
*
"Adam Tooze is Incoming Director of the European Institute", Columbia University 2015''The Crash That Failed'' review of ''Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World'' by
Robert Kuttner
Robert L. Kuttner (; born April 17, 1943) is an American journalist, university professor and writer whose works present a liberal and progressive point of view. Kuttner is the co-founder and current co-editor of ''The American Prospect'', whic ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tooze, Adam
1967 births
Living people
21st-century English historians
21st-century English male writers
Academics of the University of Cambridge
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
Columbia University faculty
British economic historians
English male non-fiction writers
Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge
New Statesman people
People educated at Highgate School
British science communicators
Writers from London
Philip Leverhulme Prize winners
Wolfson History Prize winners