A Brief History of Global Finance

What lies behind the rise and fall of civilizations? What rules govern power? What logic underlies wealth and poverty? Using time as its organizing thread and the development of finance as its central focus, this book analyzes, one by one, the secrets behind the rise and fall of civilizations and the laws of their advance and retreat, in lively, witty prose. From shells to minted coins, from insurance to stocks, from financial institutions to the world's richest people...

Whether it was the creation of an empire on which the sun never set or a financial crisis with global repercussions, the power of money was at work behind the scenes. As eras of prosperity and turmoil alternate, finance uses currency as a tool, slowly moving its invisible hand. Three thousand years of world history are, in essence, a history of finance. From 1500 BCE to the twenty-first century, discover the workings of the financial world and see how finance has shaped human civilization, weaving together a sweeping portrait of currency, debt, wealth, and the development of human society.