Ralph Hawtrey drafted the guidelines for post-WWI British austerity.

Evidence

Th e technocracy that facilitated austerity’s rise in the twentieth century can be attributed to the British economist Ralph G. Hawtrey, who authored the texts and memoranda that would serve as the guidelines for British austerity aft er World War I. As is the nature of technocracy, Hawtrey had help. Working at his side were the charismatic Sir Basil Blackett and Sir Otto Niemeyer, both powerful senior Treasury offi cials who closely advised the chancellor of the exchequer, Britain’s minister in charge of economic and fi nancial policies. — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order, 52

Categorization

• SHARE: A useful biographical anchor for readers interested in the interwar Treasury figures who set British fiscal orthodoxy.
• XREF: connects to: Budget cuts under Hawtrey’s logic functioned to reduce working-class disposable income — Clara E. Mattei, The Capital Order: How Economists…, 756; Post-WWI austerity was deployed to block moves toward economic democracy. — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention, 161

Broader Connections

• Post-WWI austerity was deployed to block moves toward economic democracy. #expands (0.78) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 161