Post-WWI austerity was deployed to block moves toward economic democracy.

Evidence

In the aftermath of the Great War, significant portions of the population in countries such as Britain and Italy were embracing concrete institutional transformations. What halted the transition toward greater economic democracy was an expert-driven campaign to code austerity as an objective resolution to the crisis of capitalism. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 161

Categorization

• XREF: Sets up the historical pivot — Italy and Britain as two of the reading purpose’s cases — that the rest of the book will detail. — connects to: Expert austerity framing blocked post-war moves toward economic democracy — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 161; The Treasury and Bank of England used monetary austerity to block the miners’ movement; Interwar austerity conferences aimed to crush postwar visions of social emancipation. — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 663 (+5 more)