For
millions of people, the global economic collapse has generated
curiosity about how money systems actually work, as opposed to how
they’re portrayed, especially when so
many financial pundits seem to be baffled. In The Ascent of Money,
economist Niall Ferguson works through some history that created today’s
money system, visiting the locations where key events took place and
poring over actual ledgers and documents, such as the first publicly
traded share of a company. Viewed with a critical eye, this series aims
to show how the history of money is indeed at the core of civilisation,
with economic strength determining political dominance, wars fought to
create wealth and individual financial barons determining the fates of
millions.
Part 1 — Dreams of Avarice
From Shylock’s pound of
flesh, to the loan-sharks of Glasgow; from the “promises to pay” on
Babylonian clay tablets, to the Medici banking system; this first
episode explains the origins of credit and debt and why credit networks
are indispensable to any system of power.http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5uxhnu
