The Death of Gentlemanly Capitalism

by Philip Augar

The first book to look at how and why the British banking industry sold out

A revolution took place in the City in the 80s and 90s. The cosy club of British merchant banking collapsed in a series of sell-outs, closures and scandals. This left the City dominated by US and European giants. Was this the inevitable result of globalization, or did mismanagement play a part? This is the first book to look at how and why the British merchant banks and brokers sold out, and where that leaves us. Augar tells this fascinating story with pace and drama, taking us through the Thatcher years, the crash of 1987, Big Bang, and the aggressive invasion of the American banks. He looks at why the British banks failed to keep pace with the Americans, what this says about the way they were run, and what this means for the future.

Genres: Finance, Business, Nonfiction

397 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Aimran Sarhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the Big Bang Revolution and the early stories of how British Investment Banks competed with their global competitors. Detailed read with strong usage of financial terminology for readers working in the industry.

[Monzenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

High four stars. The history of UK financial institutions in the 80s to 2000s piqued my interest though not too much. On a different context this might be a low five.