A History of Capitalism

Jul 16 2024 10 ep. 29 mins 12
A History of Capitalism Podcast artwork

Welcome to A History of Capitalism, a narrative history podcast about how capitalism as we know it came to be. Tune in biweekly for an epic story spanning from the Black Death to Black Mondays and everything in between.

  History  Business  Society & Culture
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Welcome to A History of Capitalism

Aug 07 2023 3 mins  
Welcome to the show! If you want to find out what this podcast is about, tune in and meet the Stolen Fire Media team.

S1.E1 - The World in 1400 CE

Aug 28 2023 31 mins  
Welcome to the beginning of our journey! This episode introduces you to the world where modern capitalism first began. Join us for a tour of Europe after the Black Death, the Middle East on the eve of Ottoman rule, India in upheaval, China approaching its zenith, and Africa's connections to the larger world.Episode Bibliography:Empire of Cotton: A New History of Global Capitalism b

S1.E2 - Merchants, Markets, and Trade

Sep 05 2023 34 mins  
Trade across three continents was not an easy task. In this episode we meet the merchants and markets who made goods move through the eyes of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta.Episode Bibliography:Oxford History of Medieval Europe by George HolmesRe-Orient: Global Economy in the Asian Age by Andre Gunder-FrankA History of Islamic Civilizations by Ira M. LapidusThe Rihla by Ibn BattutaThe

S1.E3 - Money and Banking

Sep 18 2023 31 mins  
Money. You can't live without it these days. In this episode we find out how money rose to its dominant position by the year 1400 CE, how money's limitations created banking, and how banking developed during these early years.Episode Bibliography:Money and Credit in Indian History from Early Medieval Times edited by Amiya Kumar BagchiThe Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the

S1.E4 - An Explosive Recipe

Oct 16 2023 32 mins  
Its now time to kick the story of capitalism off with a bang. Gunpowder did more than just change warfare. Its production and use completely transformed society, governance, and gave rise to one of the first modern industries. Nothing shows these changes better than the Ottoman Turks, the world's first gunpowder empire, and their 1453 CE conquest of Constantinople.Battles of the Me

S1.E5 - 1492

Nov 20 2023 32 mins  
CW: Anti-Semitic violence and the enslavement and genocide of indigenous peoples in the Americas, mention of torture, mutilation, and suicide.In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue or at least that's how the rhyme goes. It's time to dive in to Columbus' place in the history of capitalism, why Spain and Portugal were at the forefront of European maritime expeditions, and how they ca

S1.E6 - The Columbian Exchange

Dec 06 2023 32 mins  
Spain's new colonial empire endowed Europe's rising monarchy with an unprecedented economic windfall. In this episode, we find out how silver and other goods extracted from the Americas made the first truly worldwide economy possible at the cost of Spain's prosperity and long-term stability.Works Cited:“Megadrought and Megadeath in 16th Century Mexico”, by Rodolfo Acuna-Soto, D

S1.E7 - War Capitalism

Apr 08 2024 33 mins  
Capitalism, at its outset, was a very violent and warlike affair. In this episode, we will explore the historical model known as war capitalism and how military might was essential for granting European merchants access to the markets of Asia.Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven BeckertThe Dutch Overseas Empire, 1600-1800 by Pieter C. Emmer and Jos J.L. GommansPirate Nests an

S1.E8 - The Printing Press

Apr 22 2024 30 mins  
Moving and storing information has always been vital to economic development. In this episode, we will turn to the story of the printing press, why it triggered the information revolution which was essential to capitalism's rise, and how it transformed economics from the ground up just as the Dutch, English, Portuguese, and Spanish were laying the foundations of global empires.The

S1.E9 - Creating the Corporation

Jul 16 2024 33 mins  
If there's one thing that's more capitalist than anything else, it's the corporation. In this episode, we explore the modern corporation's origins in Dutch & English colonialism, the spice trade, gun-running, and more!Merchant Kings: When Companies Ruled the World, 1600-1900 by Stephen R. BrownThe Dutch Overseas Empire, 1600-1800 by Pieter C. Emmer and Jos J.L. GommansFor Profi