The limits of American capitalism / Robert L. Heilbroner.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-139) and index.

Part I: Capitalism in America -- Part II: The limits of American capitalism.

"For roughly the past century and a half the dominant system of economic organization in most of the Western world has been that of capitalism. In all likelihood, barring the advent of a catastrophic war, capitalism will continue as the dominant system of the Western world during the remainder of this century and well into the next. The specter of its overthrow by violent revolution has now receded into the background. Capitalism will inevitably change, may well suffer considerable duress over the next decades, and in the longer run will gradually give way to a very different kind of social order. But for our lives and for those of our children, it bids fair to confront us as the prevailing form of social organization in those nations where it is now solidly entrenched. It seems to me that all serious analysis and prediction in regard to the future of the West, and in particular of America, must start from some such premise. At any rate, it is my premise, and in this short book I propose to explore — with all the uncertainties and risks inherent in such an enterprise — the possibilities and impossibilities for American society implicit in such a view." -- From the first part.