The history of humanity is profoundly and inextricably linked to the history of money. According to leading economist and author David McWilliams, no single innovation has so thoroughly defined our evolution or dramatically altered the direction of global history. Yet, despite its primacy, most people do not truly understand money. McWilliams argues that money is central to every facet of civilization, extending far beyond simple commerce into the political and artistic spheres.
Money defines not only the transactional relationships between worker and employer, or buyer and seller, but also the bond between the governed and the governor, the state and the citizen. It unlocks pleasure, puts a price on desire, art, and creativity, motivating us to strive, achieve, invent, and take risks. Simultaneously, money reveals humanity’s darker side, invoking greed, envy, hatred, violence, and enabling colonialism. Readers travel on a global journey, from its birthplace in ancient Babylon to the beginning of trade along the Silk Road, from bustling Marrakech markets to the towering heights of Wall Street. Along this timeline, we meet innovators, emperors, frauds, and speculators who have repeatedly disrupted society and transformed human existence.
Filled with memorable anecdotes, this is an essential, extremely readable history of humanity's single most consequential invention. Readers interested in economics, global history, finance, and political theory will appreciate the deep cultural and systemic power currency holds, making complex economic history accessible and engaging for all.
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