Publisher's Synopsis
An eclectic mix of people, institutions, discoveries and events which have shaped the world we know today. From the East India Company of the 17th century, to Nixon's involvement in the Vodka-Cola agreements of the 1970's, the capitalist system has enriched the lives of a few, while ignoring the rights and needs of the majority. The Great Exhibition of 1851 launched the age of consumerism, Gordon Selfridge created a lavish emporium for the wealthy and Frank Woolworth made his fortune by introducing shopping to the masses. Missionaries like Mary Slessor devoted their lives to helping others, while imperialists like Cecil Rhodes exploited millions for their own gain. Britain's industrial revolution was funded by the slave-trade and when it ended, the British Government paid 20 million pounds in compensation to former slave-owners. For more than 500 years, China was the envy of the world, but it was reduced to a nation of junkies, when Britain and America flooded the country with opium. Botanists like Richard Spruce, made discoveries that enriched the lives of many, chemists like Fritz Haber created weapons of war that killed millions. While survivors of the holocaust were giving evidence at the Nuremburg war trials, Catholic Bishops were helping thousands of Nazis to escape to Argentina. America promotes democracy but it has spent billions on covert operations in order to topple democratically elected governments. According to the 2019 Forbes list, the three richest people in the world have a combined wealth of 300 billion dollars, but more than a billion families are living on less than $15 a week. A wise man once said, society should be judged by how well it treats its most vulnerable citizens, if that is true, what does that say about the world we live in today ?
