A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II
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A History of Money and Banking in the United States: The Colonial Era to World War II Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 183 ratings
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In what is sure to become the standard account, Rothbard traces inflations, banking panics, and money meltdowns from the colonial period through the mid-20th century to show how government's systematic war on sound money is the hidden force behind nearly all major economic calamities in American history.

Never has the story of money and banking been told with such rhetorical power and theoretical vigor. You will treasure this volume.

From the introduction by Joseph Salerno:

"Rothbard employs the Misesian approach to economic history consistently and dazzlingly throughout the volume to unravel the causes and consequences of events and institutions ranging over the course of US monetary history, from the colonial times through the New Deal era. One of the important benefits of Rothbard's unique approach is that it naturally leads to an account of the development of the US monetary system in terms of a compelling narrative linking human motives and plans that oftentimes are hidden and devious, leading to outcomes that sometimes are tragic. And one will learn much more about monetary history from reading this exciting story than from poring over reams of statistical analysis. Although its five parts were written separately, this volume presents a relatively integrated narrative, with very little overlap, that sweeps across 300 years of US monetary history."

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  1. Listening Length
    13 hours and 48 minutes
  2. Author
    Murray N. Rothbard
  3. Narrator
    Matthew Mezinskis
  4. Audible release date
    February 2, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Ludwig von Mises Institute
  7. ASIN
    B01BE1W5GA
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 13 hours and 48 minutes
Author Murray N. Rothbard
Narrator Matthew Mezinskis
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 02, 2016
Publisher Ludwig von Mises Institute
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01BE1W5GA
Best Sellers Rank #26,795 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#15 in Banks & Banking (Audible Books & Originals)
#41 in Banks & Banking (Books)
#47 in Free Enterprise & Capitalism

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
183 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Linksman
5.0 out of 5 stars the introduction alone is worth the price of the book
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2009
Verified Purchase
For someone who has wasted a lifetime trying to understand economics, money, credit and banking, this book clarifies a good deal. If you suspect Larry Summers and Tim Geithner and Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson and Barney Frank and Chris Dodd and others of their ilk talk mostly nonsense, are at best not be trusted and at worst conspirators in a grand scam to preserve the power of their corporate masters, Murry Rothbard would not only agree with you completely but could probably explain in a couple of paragraphs exactly what is going on every time any of them opens his mouth. Unfortunately, Murry is no longer with us. We have to do the best we can with the method he championed for fifty odd years: ignore what they say and consider who stands to benefit from what they are doing and proposing, and how. What I cannot understand after reading this book, is how or why Rothbard ever got himself involved with Richard Nixon? But don't let that stop you from reading the book.

Is Rothbard right about the need for a gold standard? There isn't enough gold to support the unrepayable and largely unserviceable public debt balloon our Wall Street masters of the universe and their academic and bureaucratic apologists have been inflating over the past ninety-six years, and doubling over the past twelve months. Only truly heroic inflation can now bail out the State, and it's hard to see how the inflationists can now make the bubble inflate fast enough to prevent a gigantic bust. History suggests that a real collapse may be coming, one in which the bankers will remain standing because their toxic waste has all been absorbed by the friendly taxpayer. Other major players may end up more like GM than GE.

Meanwhile, as I await the bust, this book of Murray's is lively reading and food for thought. You really can't ask more from any book.
12 people found this helpful
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Alan Pyeatt
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source of Information
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent overview of monetary history in the United States. Although the late Murray Rothbard was capable of providing very detailed analysis, this volume was written in a style that is very readable, even for beginners. Even so, it provides a wealth of information, and plenty of resources for further study, if desired.

Economic historians and others who are already familiar with the subject may want to read one of Rothbard's more detailed studies, such as "Conceived in Liberty," "America's Great Depression," or "The Case Against the Fed." However, this is an excellent introduction, and true to Rothbard's style, it includes innumerable insights that are missed by other historians and economists alike.

One of the reasons Rothbard was able to gain insights that other writers missed is that he analyzed historical events using methodology from the "Austrian school" of economics. In fact, Rothbard did much to develop the Austrian school's methodology, especially in regard to researching economic history. This methodology differs from that of other economic historians in that it attempts to understand the motives of economic actors and policymakers. Joseph T. Salerno provides a thorough description of this methodology in his Introduction, and that is reason enough to buy this edition.

Overall, this is an excellent overview of how (and why) our financial system developed, starting with the early Colonial period. Less imposing than some of his other works, it nevertheless makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the American financial system, without which any study of the subject would be incomplete.
6 people found this helpful
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Mark Wells
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and Revealing
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2012
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Although this is a technically written book, the narrative it produces reads as well as any thriller, proving again that fact is far more interesting than fiction. As many times as I have told my children about "how much more that thing costs than when I was a kid", I can now replace that saying with "how much less my money is worth than when I was a kid." The missing lynchpin in my wide study of American History was here within this book: that moneyed interests has always aligned themselves with government, and the two have conspired to "rob" the common citizen through monetary inflation and devaluation of the currency. You can pick any period of American history, and overlay the currency / credit / monetary factors over our current time, and not be able to tell the difference. More than any book I have read, this explains the current loss of personal liberty in our country.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dr. Werner Ende
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein unverzichtbarer Klassiker der Geschichte des US-Dollars und der Amerikanischen Banken
Reviewed in Germany on March 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
Es gab nur wenige Zeitgenossen des 1995 verstorbenen Ökonomen und Philosophen Murray N. Rothbard , die derart kritisch und fundiert über diese für die Weltfinanz fundamental wichtigen Dinge berichtet haben.
Murray N. Rothbard hat mit diesem und anderen Büchern entscheidend zur Renaissance der Austrian School, hier bekannt unter Österreichische Schule der Ökonomie beigetragen.
Wer frei von doktrinären, staatlichen Einflüssen erfahren will, wie die Weltwirtschaft heute in eine derart verheerende Lage geraten konnte, kommt
an diesem Buch nicht vorbei.
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Mr. Francois Marcognet
5.0 out of 5 stars Analyse économique, théorie monétaire
Reviewed in France on July 17, 2010
Verified Purchase
Très bonne étude de Murray. N. Rothbard sur le système américain.
Travail très important pour le courant Autrichien. A comparer avec l'Histoire monétaire des Etats-Unis de Milton Friedman.
One person found this helpful
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