Hannah Arendt and Karl Polanyi: economic liberalism, the collapse of politics and mass society

In the 1930s, H. Arendt and K. Polanyi shared the experience of rootlessness and the collapse of nineteenth century civilisation. Through the analysis of the market society (K. Polanyi) and the condition of modern man (H. Arendt), they analyse how economicism and the advent of an economic society in the nineteenth century have engendered mass societies which carry totalitarian tendencies. This double perspective gives some keys to understand the threats of our "dark times". Adapted from the source document.