‘Moazzin's study shows the ambiguities of negotiating financial and political interests with great nuance and objectivity. Based on a mountain of qualitative and quantitative archival data, Moazzin manages to unearth the complex nature of transnational financial flows, networks, and their institutional constraints before WWI. Most importantly, he reminds us that the impact of financial globalization failed to produce clear winners and losers in the process.’
Elisabeth Köll - The University of Notre Dame
‘Moazzin’s history of foreign banks and global finance in turn of the 20th century China opens a new chapter in the global history of capitalism. Readers will find in its pages an illuminating engrossing story of the roles of European economic actors in a Chinese history of globalization, and a crucial contextualization of the modern global economic order that takes into account the Chinese view.’
Glenda Sluga - University of Sydney
‘Grounded in detailed research, this history will be valuable for all those interested in engaging with China’s economic development.'
George Hong Jiang
Source: LSE Review of Books
'Foreign Banks’ key contributions have less to do with offering alternative models of imperial power and more to do with examining the gritty mechanics of banking. On this front, the analysis is masterful … The meticulous archival work also allows the book to raise compelling questions about state capacity and the governing power of money.'
Mary Bridges
Source: Business History
‘… a captivating read, accessible to most audiences, and would make an excellent undergraduate textbook for courses on Chinese economic history … Highly recommended.’
D. Li
Source: Choice
‘A deeply researched history of DAB and its operations in China as well as a study that makes broader points about the integration of China into world financial markets.’
Austin Dean
Source: Journal of Chinese History
‘An original and important book.’
Hubert Bonin
Source: EH.Net
‘The thoroughness of his investigation and masterfulness of his analysis made this book not only a scholarly resource, but also an intriguing option for individuals interested in the intricate dynamics of finance, politics, and historical transformation in China’s modernization journey.’
Yitong Qiu
Source: The Economic History Review
‘In short, [this book] makes major empirical and conceptual contributions to the field of Chinese history and is a superb specimen of archival scholarship and artful storytelling.’
Matthew Lowenstein
Source: The Journal of Asian Studies
‘… a monograph of such quality testifies to years of diligent and astute research. Moazzin draws upon primary sources in four languages (German, Chinese, French, and Japanese); offers a comprehensive review of previous scholarship with a sense of empathy, respect, and even humility; and supplements texts with rigorous numerical analysis.’
Elya Zhang
Source: H-Net Reviews
‘This book is a service to the field: the work is painstaking and illuminating.’
Peter Thilly
Source: Twentieth-Century China
‘With his study of foreign banks in China in the phase of the first economic globalization between 1870 and 1919, Ghassan Moazzin has presented an impressive history of interdependence, which benefits from his clear questioning, his convincing conceptual approach, and his broad knowledge of literature and sources.’
Friederike Sattler
Source: Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte (ZUG)
