Capitalism has lifted millions out of poverty. Under its guiding hand, living standards throughout the Western world have been transformed. Further afield, the trail blazed by Japan is being followed by other emerging market countries across the globe, creating prosperity on a breathtaking scale. And yet, capitalism is unloved. From its discontents to its outright enemies, voices compete to point out the flaws in the system that allow increasingly powerful elites to grab an ever larger share of our collective wealth. In this incisive, clear-sighted guide, award-winning Financial Times journalist John Plender explores the paradoxes and pitfalls inherent in this extraordinarily dynamic mechanism - and in our attitudes to it. Taking us on a journey from the Venetian merchants of the Renaissance to the gleaming temples of commerce in 21st-century Canary Wharf via the South Sea Bubble, Dutch tulip mania and manic-depressive gambling addicts, Plender shows us our economic creation through the eyes of philosophers, novelists, poets, artists and divines. Along the way, he delves into the ethics of debt; reveals the truth about the unashamedly materialistic artistic giants who pioneered copyrighting; and traces the path of our instinctive conviction that entrepreneurs are greedy, unethical opportunists, hell-bent on capital accumulation, while manufacturing is innately virtuous. Thoughtful, eloquent and above all compelling, Capitalism is a remarkable contribution to the enduring debate.
- 352 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- CONTENTS
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER ONE: THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL (OR NOT, AS THE CASE MAY BE)
- CHAPTER TWO: ANIMAL SPIRITS
- CHAPTER THREE: HIJACKED BY BANKERS
- CHAPTER FOUR: INDUSTRIAL SHRINKAGE, FINANCIAL EXCESS
- CHAPTER FIVE: SOPHISTERS, ECONOMISTS AND CALCULATORS
- CHAPTER SIX: TRADE AND THE FATAL EMBRACE
- CHAPTER SEVEN: SPECULATION – THE MISSING SHAME GENE
- CHAPTER EIGHT: THE DYNAMICS OF DEBT
- CHAPTER NINE: GOLD: THE 6,000-YEAR-LONG BUBBLE
- CHAPTER TEN: HIGH-MINDED ABOUT ART
- CHAPTER ELEVEN: TAX AND THE DIVISION OF THE SPOILS
- CHAPTER TWELVE: CAPITALISM, WARTS AND ALL
- NOTES
- INDEX
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Capitalism by John Plender in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Economics & Economic History. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.