【货币崛起金融如何影响世界历史】（TheAscent

NIALLFERGUSONAuthorofTHEWAROFTHEWORLDTHEASCENTOFMONEYAFINANCIALHISTORYofTHEWORLDU.S.$29.95Canada$33.00Bread,cash,dosh,dough,loot:Callitwhatyoulike,itmatters.ToChristians,loveofitistherootofallevil.Togenerals,it'sthesinewsofwar.Torevolu­tionaries,it'sthechainsoflabor.ButinTheAscentofMoney,NiallFergusonshowsthatfinanceisinfactthefoundationofhumanprogress.What'smore,herevealsfinancialhistoryastheessentialbackstorybehindallhistory.Theevolutionofcreditanddebtwasasimpor­tantasanytechnologicalinnovationintheriseofcivilization,fromancientBabylontothesilverminesofBolivia.BanksprovidedthematerialbasisforthesplendorsoftheItalianRenaissancewhilethebondmarketwasthedecisivefactorinconflictsfromtheSevenYears'WartotheAmericanCivilWar.Withtheclarityandverveforwhichheisknown,FergusonexplainswhytheoriginsoftheFrenchRevolutionlieinastockmarketbubblecausedbyaconvictedScotsmurderer.HeshowshowfinancialfailureturnedArgentinafromtheworld'ssixthrichestcountryintoaninflation-riddenbasketcase—andhowafinancialrevolutionispropellingtheworld'smostpopulouscountryfrompovertytopowerinasinglegeneration.Yetthemostimportantlessonofthefinancialhistoryisthatsoonerorlatereverybubblebursts—soonerorlaterthebearishsellersoutnumberthebullishbuyers,soonerorlatergreedflipsintofear.Andthat'swhy,whetheryou'rescrapingbyorrollinginit,there'sneverbeenabettertimetounderstandtheascentofmoney.1108NiallFergusonisoneofBritain'smostrenownedhistorians.HeisLaurenceA.TischProfessorofHistoryatHarvardUniversity,aSeniorResearchFellowofJesusCollege,OxfordUniversity,andaSeniorFellowoftheHooverInstitution,StanfordUniversity.ThebestsellingauthorofPaperandIron,TheHouseofRothschild,ThePityofWar,TheCashNexus,Empire,ColossusandTheWaroftheWorld,healsowritesregularlyfornewspapersandmagazinesallovertheworld.HehaswrittenandpresentedfourhighlysuccessfultelevisiondocumentaryseriesforChannel4:Empire,AmericanColossus,TheWaroftheWorldand,mostrecently,TheAscentofMoney.He,hiswifeandthreechildrendividetheirtimebetweentheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStates.Jacketpainting:LaisCorinthiaca,1526(oilonlimewood),byHansHolbeintheYounger,OffentlicheKunstsammlung,Basel,Switzerland/TheBridgemanArtLibraryThePenguinPressAMEMBEROFPENGUINGROUP(USA)INC.375HudsonStreet,NewYork,N.Y.10014|PrintedinU.S.A.PraiseforTHEWAROFTHEWORLDTwentieth-CenturyConflictandtheDescentoftheWestAheartbreaking,seriousandthoughtfulsurveyofhumanevilthatisutterlyfascinatinganddramatic...superbnarrativehistory.—SimonSebagMontefiore,TheNewYorkTimesBookReviewWieldingatoncetheencyclopedicknowledgeofanaccomplishedscholarandtheengagingproseofamasterstoryteller,Fergusoncommendablybringsfreshinsightstoahistorybynowfamiliar....Atourdeforce.—SanFranciscoChronicleAfascinatingread,thankstoFerguson'sgiftsasawriterofclear,energeticnarrativehistory.—JamesF.Hodge,Jr.,TheWashingtonPostPraiseforEMPIRE:HowBritainMadetheModernWorldFerguson...isawonderfullyfluentwriter,weavingtellingdetailsandvividanecdotesseamlesslyintohisnarrative....SuretobeachillingassertiontoboththoseinWashingtoneagertodenyimperialambitionsandthoseintheArabworldsuspiciousofAmerica'smotives.—MichikoKakutani,TheNewYorkTimes'Fluentlywritten,engaging,beautifullydesignedandspectacularlyillustrated...Empireisamodelofhowtodopopularhistory.—TheEconomistAnentertaining,engagingrompthroughfourcenturiesofBritishimperialism.—LosAngelesTimesISBN978-1-59420-192-9TheAscentofMoneyALSOBYNIALLFERGUSONPaperandIronTheHouseofRothschildThePityofWarTheCashNexusEmpireColossusTheWaroftheWorldNIALLFERGUSONTheAscentofMoneyAFinancialHistoryoftheWorldThePenguinPressNewYork2008THEPENGUINPRESSPublishedbythePenguinGroupPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.,375HudsonStreet,NewYork,NewYork10014,U.S.A.PenguinGroup(Canada),90EglintonAvenueEast,Suite700,Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM4P2Y3(adivisionofPearsonPenguinCanadaInc.)PenguinBooksLtd,80Strand,LondonWC2RoRL,EnglandPenguinIreland,25St.Stephen'sGreen,Dublin2,Ireland(adivisionofPenguinBooksLtd)PenguinBooksAustraliaLtd,250CamberwellRoad,Camberwell,Victoria3124,Australia(adivisionofPearsonAustraliaGroupPtyLtd)PenguinBooksIndiaPvtLtd,11CommunityCentre,PanchsheelPark,NewDelhi—110017,IndiaPenguinGroup(NZ),67ApolloDrive,Rosedale,NorthShore0632,NewZealand(adivisionofPearsonNewZealandLtd)PenguinBooks(SouthAfrica)(Pty)Ltd,24SturdeeAvenue,Rosebank,Johannesburg2196,SouthAfricaPenguinBooksLtd,RegisteredOffices:80Strand,LondonWC2RoRL,EnglandFirstpublishedin2008byThePenguinPress,amemberofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.12345678910Copyright©NiallFerguson,2008AllrightsreservedISBN978-1-59420-192-9PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaWithoutlimitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise),withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofboththecopyrightownerandtheabovepublisherofthisbook.Thescanning,uploading,anddistributionofthisbookviatheInternetorviaanyothermeanswithoutthepermissionofthepublisherisillegalandpunishablebylaw.Pleasepurchaseonlyauthorizedelec