A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021

Download A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691238405
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021 by : Alan S. Blinder

Download or read book A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021 written by Alan S. Blinder and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2024-04-16 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author, the fascinating story of U.S. economic policy from Kennedy to Biden—filled with lessons for today In this book, Alan Blinder, one of the world’s most influential economists and one of the field’s best writers, draws on his deep firsthand experience to provide an authoritative account of sixty years of monetary and fiscal policy in the United States. Spanning twelve presidents, from John F. Kennedy to Joe Biden, and eight Federal Reserve chairs, from William McChesney Martin to Jerome Powell, this is an insider’s story of macroeconomic policy that hasn’t been told before—one that is a pleasure to read, and as interesting as it is important. Focusing on the most significant developments and long-term changes, Blinder traces the highs and lows of monetary and fiscal policy, which have by turns cooperated and clashed through many recessions and several long booms over the past six decades. From the fiscal policy of Kennedy’s New Frontier to Biden’s responses to the pandemic, the book takes readers through the stagflation of the 1970s, the conquest of inflation under Jimmy Carter and Paul Volcker, the rise of Reaganomics, and the bubbles of the 2000s before bringing the story up through recent events—including the financial crisis, the Great Recession, and monetary policy during COVID-19. A lively and concise narrative that is sure to become a classic, A Monetary and Fiscal History of the United States, 1961–2021 is filled with vital lessons for anyone who wants to better understand where the economy has been—and where it might be headed.

A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017

Download A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 1452965846
Total Pages : 643 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (529 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017 by : Timothy J. Kehoe

Download or read book A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017 written by Timothy J. Kehoe and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2022-01-11 with total page 643 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major, new, and comprehensive look at six decades of macroeconomic policies across the region What went wrong with the economic development of Latin America over the past half-century? Along with periods of poor economic performance, the region’s countries have been plagued by a wide variety of economic crises. This major new work brings together dozens of leading economists to explore the economic performance of the ten largest countries in South America and of Mexico. Together they advance the fundamental hypothesis that, despite different manifestations, these crises all have been the result of poorly designed or poorly implemented fiscal and monetary policies. Each country is treated in its own section of the book, with a lead chapter presenting a comprehensive database of the country’s fiscal, monetary, and economic data from 1960 to 2017. The chapters are drawn from one-day academic conferences—hosted in all but one case, in the focus country—with participants including noted economists and former leading policy makers. Cowritten with Nobel Prize winner Thomas J. Sargent, the editors’ introduction provides a conceptual framework for analyzing fiscal and monetary policy in countries around the world, particularly those less developed. A final chapter draws conclusions and suggests directions for further research. A vital resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of economics and for economic researchers and policy makers, A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017 goes further than any book in stressing both the singularities and the similarities of the economic histories of Latin America’s largest countries. Contributors: Mark Aguiar, Princeton U; Fernando Alvarez, U of Chicago; Manuel Amador, U of Minnesota; Joao Ayres, Inter-American Development Bank; Saki Bigio, UCLA; Luigi Bocola, Stanford U; Francisco J. Buera, Washington U, St. Louis; Guillermo Calvo, Columbia U; Rodrigo Caputo, U of Santiago; Roberto Chang, Rutgers U; Carlos Javier Charotti, Central Bank of Paraguay; Simón Cueva, TNK Economics; Julián P. Díaz, Loyola U Chicago; Sebastian Edwards, UCLA; Carlos Esquivel, Rutgers U; Eduardo Fernández Arias, Peking U; Carlos Fernández Valdovinos (former Central Bank of Paraguay); Arturo José Galindo, Banco de la República, Colombia; Márcio Garcia, PUC-Rio; Felipe González Soley, U of Southampton; Diogo Guillen, PUC-Rio; Lars Peter Hansen, U of Chicago; Patrick Kehoe, Stanford U; Carlos Gustavo Machicado Salas, Bolivian Catholic U; Joaquín Marandino, U Torcuato Di Tella; Alberto Martin, U Pompeu Fabra; Cesar Martinelli, George Mason U; Felipe Meza, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México; Pablo Andrés Neumeyer, U Torcuato Di Tella; Gabriel Oddone, U de la República; Daniel Osorio, Banco de la República; José Peres Cajías, U of Barcelona; David Perez-Reyna, U de los Andes; Fabrizio Perri, Minneapolis Fed; Andrew Powell, Inter-American Development Bank; Diego Restuccia, U of Toronto; Diego Saravia, U de los Andes; Thomas J. Sargent, New York U; José A. Scheinkman, Columbia U; Teresa Ter-Minassian (formerly IMF); Marco Vega, Pontificia U Católica del Perú; Carlos Végh, Johns Hopkins U; François R. Velde, Chicago Fed; Alejandro Werner, IMF.

A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960

Download A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 140082933X
Total Pages : 889 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by : Milton Friedman

Download or read book A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 written by Milton Friedman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 889 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing in the June 1965 issue of theEconomic Journal, Harry G. Johnson begins with a sentence seemingly calibrated to the scale of the book he set himself to review: "The long-awaited monetary history of the United States by Friedman and Schwartz is in every sense of the term a monumental scholarly achievement--monumental in its sheer bulk, monumental in the definitiveness of its treatment of innumerable issues, large and small . . . monumental, above all, in the theoretical and statistical effort and ingenuity that have been brought to bear on the solution of complex and subtle economic issues." Friedman and Schwartz marshaled massive historical data and sharp analytics to support the claim that monetary policy--steady control of the money supply--matters profoundly in the management of the nation's economy, especially in navigating serious economic fluctuations. In their influential chapter 7, The Great Contraction--which Princeton published in 1965 as a separate paperback--they address the central economic event of the century, the Depression. According to Hugh Rockoff, writing in January 1965: "If Great Depressions could be prevented through timely actions by the monetary authority (or by a monetary rule), as Friedman and Schwartz had contended, then the case for market economies was measurably stronger." Milton Friedman won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976 for work related to A Monetary History as well as to his other Princeton University Press book, A Theory of the Consumption Function (1957).

After the Music Stopped

Download After the Music Stopped PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101605871
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis After the Music Stopped by : Alan S. Blinder

Download or read book After the Music Stopped written by Alan S. Blinder and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-01-24 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestseller "Blinder's book deserves its likely place near the top of reading lists about the crisis. It is the best comprehensive history of the episode... A riveting tale." - Financial Times One of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers offers a masterful narrative of the crisis and its lessons. Many fine books on the financial crisis were first drafts of history—books written to fill the need for immediate understanding. Alan S. Blinder, esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, held off, taking the time to understand the crisis and to think his way through to a truly comprehensive and coherent narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we can do from here—mired as we still are in its wreckage. With bracing clarity, Blinder shows us how the U.S. financial system, which had grown far too complex for its own good—and too unregulated for the public good—experienced a perfect storm beginning in 2007. Things started unraveling when the much-chronicled housing bubble burst, but the ensuing implosion of what Blinder calls the “bond bubble” was larger and more devastating. Some people think of the financial industry as a sideshow with little relevance to the real economy—where the jobs, factories, and shops are. But finance is more like the circulatory system of the economic body: if the blood stops flowing, the body goes into cardiac arrest. When America’s financial structure crumbled, the damage proved to be not only deep, but wide. It took the crisis for the world to discover, to its horror, just how truly interconnected—and fragile—the global financial system is. Some observers argue that large global forces were the major culprits of the crisis. Blinder disagrees, arguing that the problem started in the U.S. and was pushed abroad, as complex, opaque, and overrated investment products were exported to a hungry world, which was nearly poisoned by them. The second part of the story explains how American and international government intervention kept us from a total meltdown. Many of the U.S. government’s actions, particularly the Fed’s, were previously unimaginable. And to an amazing—and certainly misunderstood—extent, they worked. The worst did not happen. Blinder offers clear-eyed answers to the questions still before us, even if some of the choices ahead are as divisive as they are unavoidable. After the Music Stopped is an essential history that we cannot afford to forget, because one thing history teaches is that it will happen again.

Century Of Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, A: Issues And Implications For The Future

Download Century Of Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, A: Issues And Implications For The Future PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 981120179X
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (112 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Century Of Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, A: Issues And Implications For The Future by : Saving Thomas R

Download or read book Century Of Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, A: Issues And Implications For The Future written by Saving Thomas R and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2019-05-30 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Federal Reserve System, created in the early 20th century, is now more than a hundred years old. This book takes the reader through the founding and first century of Federal Reserve monetary policy, and uses the analysis of the past to address the present and future issues of central banking.With its focus on the actual policies, rather than the politics or individuals that determined those policies, this book addresses issues that have plagued monetarists since the onset of the Great Recession. Then, it proceeds to discuss the issues that will affect the efficacy of policy in the future. This section of the book is relevant for all central banks as central bank behavior post the onset of the Great Recession was similar throughout the world.The book presents an analysis of the path of inflation that puzzled the experts. It adds an analysis of central banking's ability or lack thereof to influence market interest rates. Lastly, it explains the current exploding crypto-currency craze, its potential to supplant traditional transactions media, and the future of these so-called currencies.

21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19

Download 21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 1324020474
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (24 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis 21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19 by : Ben S. Bernanke

Download or read book 21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19 written by Ben S. Bernanke and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2022-05-17 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 21st Century Monetary Policy takes readers inside the Federal Reserve, explaining what it does and why. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve deployed an extraordinary range of policy tools that helped prevent the collapse of the financial system and the U.S. economy. Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues lent directly to U.S. businesses, purchased trillions of dollars of government securities, pumped dollars into the international financial system, and crafted a new framework for monetary policy that emphasized job creation. These strategies would have astonished Powell’s late-20th-century predecessors, from William McChesney Martin to Alan Greenspan, and the advent of these tools raises new questions about the future landscape of economic policy. In 21st Century Monetary Policy, Ben S. Bernanke—former chair of the Federal Reserve and one of the world’s leading economists—explains the Fed’s evolution and speculates on its future. Taking a fresh look at the bank’s policymaking over the past seventy years, including his own time as chair, Bernanke shows how changes in the economy have driven the Fed’s innovations. He also lays out new challenges confronting the Fed, including the return of inflation, cryptocurrencies, increased risks of financial instability, and threats to its independence. Beyond explaining the central bank’s new policymaking tools, Bernanke also captures the drama of moments when so much hung on the Fed’s decisions, as well as the personalities and philosophies of those who led the institution.

Financial History of the United States

Download Financial History of the United States PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781258215279
Total Pages : 544 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (152 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Financial History of the United States by : Paul Studenski

Download or read book Financial History of the United States written by Paul Studenski and published by . This book was released on 2011-10-01 with total page 544 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Advice and Dissent

Download Advice and Dissent PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 046509418X
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Advice and Dissent by : Alan S. Blinder

Download or read book Advice and Dissent written by Alan S. Blinder and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bestselling economist tells us what both politicians and economists must learn to fix America's failing economic policies American economic policy ranks as something between bad and disgraceful. As leading economist Alan S. Blinder argues, a crucial cultural divide separates economic and political civilizations. Economists and politicians often talk--and act--at cross purposes: politicians typically seek economists' "advice" only to support preconceived notions, not to learn what economists actually know or believe. Politicians naturally worry about keeping constituents happy and winning elections. Some are devoted to an ideology. Economists sometimes overlook the real human costs of what may seem to be the obviously best policy--to a calculating machine. In Advice and Dissent, Blinder shows how both sides can shrink the yawning gap between good politics and good economics and encourage the hardheaded but softhearted policies our country so desperately needs.

The Rise and Fall of American Growth

Download The Rise and Fall of American Growth PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400888956
Total Pages : 785 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Rise and Fall of American Growth by : Robert J. Gordon

Download or read book The Rise and Fall of American Growth written by Robert J. Gordon and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 785 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How America's high standard of living came to be and why future growth is under threat In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.

Barriers to Riches

Download Barriers to Riches PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262264082
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (64 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Barriers to Riches by : Stephen L. Parente

Download or read book Barriers to Riches written by Stephen L. Parente and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2002-01-25 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why isn't the whole world as rich as the United States? Conventional views holds that differences in the share of output invested by countries account for this disparity. Not so, say Stephen Parente and Edward Prescott. In Barriers to Riches, Parente and Prescott argue that differences in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) explain this phenomenon. These differences exist because some countries erect barriers to the efficient use of readily available technology. The purpose of these barriers is to protect industry insiders with vested interests in current production processes from outside competition. Were this protection stopped, rapid TFP growth would follow in the poor countries, and the whole world would soon be rich. Barriers to Riches reflects a decade of research by the authors on this question. Like other books on the subject, it makes use of historical examples and industry studies to illuminate potential explanations for income differences. Unlike these other books, however, it uses aggregate data and general equilibrium models to evaluate the plausibility of alternative explanations. The result of this approach is the most complete and coherent treatment of the subject to date.

American Default

Download American Default PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691196044
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis American Default by : Sebastian Edwards

Download or read book American Default written by Sebastian Edwards and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of how FDR did the unthinkable to save the American economy.

The Great Contraction, 1929-1933

Download The Great Contraction, 1929-1933 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400846854
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Great Contraction, 1929-1933 by : Milton Friedman

Download or read book The Great Contraction, 1929-1933 written by Milton Friedman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-12-27 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Friedman and Schwartz's A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, published in 1963, stands as one of the most influential economics books of the twentieth century. A landmark achievement, the book marshaled massive historical data and sharp analytics to support the claim that monetary policy--steady control of the money supply--matters profoundly in the management of the nation's economy, especially in navigating serious economic fluctuations. The chapter entitled "The Great Contraction, 1929-33" addressed the central economic event of the century, the Great Depression. Published as a stand-alone paperback in 1965, The Great Contraction, 1929-1933 argued that the Federal Reserve could have stemmed the severity of the Depression, but failed to exercise its role of managing the monetary system and ameliorating banking panics. The book served as a clarion call to the monetarist school of thought by emphasizing the importance of the money supply in the functioning of the economy--a concept that has come to inform the actions of central banks worldwide. This edition of the original text includes a new preface by Anna Jacobson Schwartz, as well as a new introduction by the economist Peter Bernstein. It also reprints comments from the current Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, originally made on the occasion of Milton Friedman's 90th birthday, on the enduring influence of Friedman and Schwartz's work and vision.

The Big Ditch

Download The Big Ditch PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691248079
Total Pages : 440 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Big Ditch by : Noel Maurer

Download or read book The Big Ditch written by Noel Maurer and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An incisive economic and political history of the Panama Canal On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal officially opened for business, forever changing the face of global trade and military power, as well as the role of the United States on the world stage. The Canal's creation is often seen as an example of U.S. triumphalism, but Noel Maurer and Carlos Yu reveal a more complex story. Examining the Canal's influence on Panama, the United States, and the world, The Big Ditch deftly chronicles the economic and political history of the Canal, from Spain's earliest proposals in 1529 through the final handover of the Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999, to the present day. The authors show that the Canal produced great economic dividends for the first quarter-century following its opening, despite massive cost overruns and delays. Relying on geographical advantage and military might, the United States captured most of these benefits. By the 1970s, however, when the Carter administration negotiated the eventual turnover of the Canal back to Panama, the strategic and economic value of the Canal had disappeared. And yet, contrary to skeptics who believed it was impossible for a fledgling nation plagued by corruption to manage the Canal, when the Panamanians finally had control, they switched the Canal from a public utility to a for-profit corporation, ultimately running it better than their northern patrons. A remarkable tale, The Big Ditch offers vital lessons about the impact of large-scale infrastructure projects, American overseas interventions on institutional development, and the ability of governments to run companies effectively.

This Time Is Different

Download This Time Is Different PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691152640
Total Pages : 513 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis This Time Is Different by : Carmen M. Reinhart

Download or read book This Time Is Different written by Carmen M. Reinhart and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-07 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An empirical investigation of financial crises during the last 800 years.

The Quiet Revolution

Download The Quiet Revolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Berghahn Books
ISBN 13 : 9780300100877
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Quiet Revolution by : Alan S. Blinder

Download or read book The Quiet Revolution written by Alan S. Blinder and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2004 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although little noticed, the face of central banking has changed significantly over the past ten to fifteen years, says the author of this enlightening book. Alan S. Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve System and member of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, shows that the changes, though quiet, have been sufficiently profound to constitute a revolution in central banking. Blinder considers three of the most significant aspects of the revolution. The first is the shift toward transparency: whereas central bankers once believed in secrecy and even mystery, greater openness is now considered a virtue. The second is the transition from monetary policy decisions made by single individuals to decisions made by committees. The third change is a profoundly different attitude toward the markets, from that of stern schoolmarm to one of listener. With keenness and balance, the author examines the origins of these changes and their pros and cons.

The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis

Download The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691158738
Total Pages : 144 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis by : Ben Bernanke

Download or read book The Federal Reserve and the Financial Crisis written by Ben Bernanke and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-02-24 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Collects a series of lectures the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve gave in 2012 about the Federal Reserve and the 2008 financial crisis.

The Story of Silver

Download The Story of Silver PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691208697
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Story of Silver by : William L. Silber

Download or read book The Story of Silver written by William L. Silber and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is the story of silver's transformation from soft money during the nineteenth century to hard asset today, and how manipulations of the white metal by American president Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1930s and by the richest man in the world, Texas oil baron Nelson Bunker Hunt, during the 1970s altered the course of American and world history. FDR pumped up the price of silver to help jump start the U.S. economy during the Great Depression, but this move weakened China, which was then on the silver standard, and facilitated Japan's rise to power before World War II. Bunker Hunt went on a silver-buying spree during the 1970s to protect himself against inflation and triggered a financial crisis that left him bankrupt. Silver has been the preferred shelter against government defaults, political instability, and inflation for most people in the world because it is cheaper than gold. The white metal has been the place to hide when conventional investments sour, but it has also seduced sophisticated investors throughout the ages like a siren. This book explains how powerful figures, up to and including Warren Buffett, have come under silver's thrall, and how its history guides economic and political decisions in the twenty-first century"--Publisher's description