The End of the Megamachine

The End of the Megamachine provides a uniquely comprehensive picture of the roots of the destructive forces that are threatening the future of humankind today.

Spanning 5000 years of history, the book shows how the three tyrannies of militarized states, capital accumulation and ideological power have been steering both ecosystems and societies to the brink of collapse.

With the growing instability of the Megamachine in the 21st century, new dangers open up as well as new possibilities for systemic change, to which everyone can contribute.

Originally published in Germany in 2015 to great acclaim, Zero Books presents the first English language edition of The End of the Megamachine: A Brief History of a Failing Civilization.

“The topic could not be more important. A very valuable and surely timely contribution.” Noam Chomsky

Fabian Scheidler, born in 1968, studied history and philosophy in Berlin and theatre directing in Frankfurt/M. He works and lives in Berlin as a writer for print media, television, theatre and opera. In 2009 he co-founded the independent newscast Kontext TV (www.kontext-tv.de/en), producing a monthly broadcast on global justice issues; guests include Noam Chomsky, Vandana Shiva, Immanuel Wallerstein, Jeremy Scahill, Amy Goodman, Saskia Sassen, Yanis Varoufakis, Maude Barlow and many others. Extensive lecture tours on global justice issues in Germany and abroad; publications in books and journals, including the Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik (edited by Saskia Sassen, Jürgen Habermas et al). Otto Brenner Media Award for Critical Journalism (2009). As an activist, he organized big events for the network Attac, incuding the Tribunal on Banks at the Volksbühne Berlin in 2010. As a dramaturge and playwright he worked for the world-renowned Grips Theater in Berlin for several years. In 2013, his opera „Death of a Banker“ (music: Andreas Kersting) was premiered at the opera house of Görlitz (Germany). In 2015, Fabian Scheidler’s book „The End of the Megamachine. A Brief History of a Failing Civilization“ was published in German, followed by "Chaos. The New Age of Revolutions" in 2017. Since 2015 he gave more than 100 lectures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on "The End of the Megmachine". - Fabian Scheidler has given extended interviews on major radio and television networks, including 3Sat (ZDF/ORF) and Deutschlandradio, as well as in print media, including the German daily "Taz", the Austrian daily "Wiener Zeitung" and the Swiss weekly "WOZ". - There are numerous videos with Fabian Scheidler on Youtube, many of them with 10,000 to 50,000 views. A selection can be found here: http://www.megamaschine.org/videos/ An English video can be found here: http://www.megamaschine.org/videos/#node17