{"product_id":"war-and-gold-a-five-hundred-year-history-of-empires-adventures-and-debt-9781586487683","title":"War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures, and Debt","description":"The world was wild for gold. After discovering the Americas, and under pressure to defend their vast dominion, the Habsburgs of Spain promoted gold and silver exploration in the New World with ruthless urgency. But, the great influx of wealth brought home by plundering conquistadors couldn't compensate for the Spanish government's extraordinary military spending, which would eventually bankrupt the country multiple times over and lead to the demise of the great empire. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Gold became synonymous with financial dependability, and following the devastating chaos of World War I, the gold standard came to express the order of the free market system. Warfare in pursuit of wealth required borrowing -- a quickly compulsive dependency for many governments. And when people lost confidence in the promissory notes and paper currencies issued during wartime, governments again turned to gold. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this captivating historical study, Kwarteng exposes a pattern of war-waging and financial debt -- bedmates like April and taxes that go back hundreds of years, from the French Revolution to the emergence of modern-day China. His evidence is as rich and colorful as it is sweeping. And it starts and ends with gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e PublicAffairs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/27\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781586487683\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 440\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.40h x 6.10w x 1.70d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/13\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2014 pg. 15\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/01\/2014\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/14\/2014 pg. 18\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2015 pg. 861\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Kwasi Kwarteng","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52107785896117,"sku":"9781586487683","price":35.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_ca0b1881-5d5c-4fed-9377-5ad7229daf49.jpg?v=1765862331","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/war-and-gold-a-five-hundred-year-history-of-empires-adventures-and-debt-9781586487683","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}