DOC The Jewish Century by Yuri Slezkine in History

Description

[A] magnificent history of money and finance.--New York Times Book Review“Convincingly makes the case that finance is a change-maker of change-makers.”--Financial TimesIn the aftermath of recent financial crises; it's easy to see finance as a wrecking ball: something that destroys fortunes and jobs; and undermines governments and banks. In Money Changes Everything; leading financial historian William Goetzmann argues the exact opposite―that the development of finance has made the growth of civilizations possible. Goetzmann explains that finance is a time machine; a technology that allows us to move value forward and backward through time; and that this innovation has changed the very way we think about and plan for the future. He shows how finance was present at key moments in history: driving the invention of writing in ancient Mesopotamia; spurring the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome to become great empires; determining the rise and fall of dynasties in imperial China; and underwriting the trade expeditions that led Europeans to the New World. He also demonstrates how the apparatus we associate with a modern economy―stock markets; lines of credit; complex financial products; and international trade―were repeatedly developed; forgotten; and reinvented over the course of human history.Exploring the critical role of finance over the millennia; and around the world; Goetzmann details how wondrous financial technologies and institutions―money; bonds; banks; corporations; and more―have helped urban centers to expand and cultures to flourish. And it's not done reshaping our lives; as Goetzmann considers the challenges we face in the future; such as how to use the power of finance to care for an aging and expanding population. Money Changes Everything presents a fascinating look into the way that finance has steered the course of history.