As Gods Among Men

Name: As Gods Among Men | A History of the Rich in the West
Brand: Princeton University Press
Price: 22.49 EUR
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A History of the Rich in the West

Guido Alfani(Autor*in)

Princeton University Press

1. Auflage

Erschienen am 5. Dezember 2023

440 Seiten

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Inhalt

Cover
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Studying the History of the Rich So Far: A Brief Overview
The Structure of the Book and Its Main Arguments
Part I. In the Hands of the Few
1. What Is Wealth, and How Much Is Needed to Be Rich?
Defining Wealth across the Ages
Who Can Be Considered 'Rich'?
The Historical Sources for Studying Wealth and the Rich: An Overview
2. Wealth Concentration and the Prevalence of the Rich across History: An Overview
From the Black Death (and Earlier) to the American Revolution
Wealth Concentration in the Modern Age
Why Does Wealth Concentration (Almost) Always Grow?
How Many Were Rich across Time?
Part II. The Paths to Affluence
3. On Aristocracy, New and Past
What's in a Noble? Some Initial Definitions
The Enrooting of the Feudal Nobility in Medieval Europe
Becoming a Noble, from the Early Modern Period to Napoleon's Time and Beyond
The Survival of the Nobility in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries and the Emergence of New Aristocracies
Nobility and Wealth: Some Further Reflections
Has a 'Global Aristocracy' Arisen Today?
4. On Innovation and Technology
Brilliant Sinners: Traders and Merchant-Entrepreneurs in the Middle Ages (and Before)
A New World of Opportunities
New Opportunities in the Old World
The Boon of Technology: Becoming Rich in the Industrial Age
The Problem of Entrepreneurial Dynasties: From Merit to Privilege?
Achieving Great Wealth in the Age of Information: Opportunities for All?
5. On Finance
Usurers or Bankers? The Commerce of Money in Medieval and Early Modern Times
Tax Farming, a Necessary Evil
On Investors, from Preindustrial to Industrial Times
Bankers of the Modern Era: Continuity and Change
Women in Finance: An Overview
The Progressive Financialization of the Modern Economy
6. The Curse of Smaug: The Saving and Consumption Habits of the Rich
The Consumption Habits of the Rich: From Medieval (Relative) Moderation to Conspicuous Consumption
The Saving Habits of the Rich: A Historical Overview
The Rich, the Race and the Inheritance
To Save or Not to Save? A Social Conundrum
7. Making It to the Top: An Overview
The Main Paths to Affluence in History: Summing Up
The Composition of the Rich from the Late Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century
The Composition of the Richest from the Nineteenth Century to the Interwar Period
A Thorny Issue: Inheritance
Wealth in the Early Twenty-First Century: Where Are We Heading?
Part III. The Rich in Society
8. Why Wealth Concentration Can Be a Social Problem: From Thomas Aquinas to Piketty
The Medieval Distrust of the Rich and the Super-Rich
Finding a Role for the Rich: From Sinners to Elect
Red Threads in History
On Inequality and the Perception of the Rich
9. Patrons, Benefactors, Donors
Maecenatism and Patronage between Public Good and Personal Interest: From Antiquity to Early Modern Times
Benefactors and Philanthropists of the Industrial Age
A Modern Dilemma: To Donate or to Pay Tax?
10. The Super-Rich and Politics
Wealth as a Path to Politics in Early Republics
Wealth as a Path to Politics in Modern Parliamentary Democracies
Politics as a Path to Wealth
Politics and Taxation
11. The Rich in Times of Crisis from the Black Death to COVID-19
The Rich and the Black Death: Boom or Bust?
The Crises of Early Modern Times: Plagues and Famines
The Rich during Wars and the Wars of the Rich
The Rich during Financial Crises
The Rich and COVID-19
Concluding Remarks
Appendix: Sources for Tables and Figures in the Main Text
Notes
Bibliography
Index

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