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Synopsis
In this six-part documentary respected author, journalist and lecturer Professor Niall Ferguson examines the dynamic role of money as he takes you on an epic tour of the financial world. A professor in History and Business Administration at Harvard University, as well as an author of numerous books and a commentator on contemporary politics and economics, Ferguson explains how finance rose to play such a terrifyingly dominant role in all our lives. This beautifully-shot documentary covers a broad spectrum of economic history from the 14th Century right up to the present day. But are you in on the secret? Do you really understand what causes a bank run, an inflationary meltdown or a stock market crash? Can you tell a sub-prime from a prime loan? Only with this historical perspective can one understand the essential truth about finance.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 83 people found the following review helpful
This is an accessible and extremely useful series which popped up at just the right moment to help unravel exactly what's been going on with the worldwide money markets.
The presentation is clear, concise and occasionally witty, and has really helped us to get to grips with the mysteries of the modern money machine.
Prof Niall Ferguson is an engaging host and an excellent historian who has no trouble demonstrating how the same systems and behaviours affect financial markets, be they in the 1700s or right now. He normally relates each high-falutin' fiscal concept straight back to how it affects the real world.
Most of the six programmes rely heavily on his narrative with footage from around the world, as he explains how money itself began on Babylonian tablets, then how the Medici clan began banking; how the bond market rose and made millionaires of the Rothschild family, and so on.
Inevitably, much of the older material is hard to illustrate and, if you want to rest your eyes for a while, then you can quite easily just listen to the voice-over. The images on screen can be repetitive paintings of the main players, or blurry shots of stock market traders, or strings of meaningless share prices. There are moments when this series would probably work just as well as a radio programme!
However, the core information is fascinating. Ferguson explains how stock bubbles happen and the psychology behind bear and bull markets. He uses recent examples to illustrate historical trends -- such as the rise and fall of Enron. And with the more recent info there are interviews with relevant people which are enlightening and entertaining. And all through each programme, Ferguson underlines an uncomfortable truth: that financial dealings have had major impact on all aspects of global history, from the Dutch East India Company to the Renaissence to the French Revolution -- right up to day. Scary...
So if you'd like to understand more about hedge funds, stocks and shares, limited liability companies, money itself, global banking, reflation and deflation and heaps more -- this is a must-watch.
We've found it to be very enjoyable and extremely informative.
8/10
The presentation is clear, concise and occasionally witty, and has really helped us to get to grips with the mysteries of the modern money machine.
Prof Niall Ferguson is an engaging host and an excellent historian who has no trouble demonstrating how the same systems and behaviours affect financial markets, be they in the 1700s or right now. He normally relates each high-falutin' fiscal concept straight back to how it affects the real world.
Most of the six programmes rely heavily on his narrative with footage from around the world, as he explains how money itself began on Babylonian tablets, then how the Medici clan began banking; how the bond market rose and made millionaires of the Rothschild family, and so on.
Inevitably, much of the older material is hard to illustrate and, if you want to rest your eyes for a while, then you can quite easily just listen to the voice-over. The images on screen can be repetitive paintings of the main players, or blurry shots of stock market traders, or strings of meaningless share prices. There are moments when this series would probably work just as well as a radio programme!
However, the core information is fascinating. Ferguson explains how stock bubbles happen and the psychology behind bear and bull markets. He uses recent examples to illustrate historical trends -- such as the rise and fall of Enron. And with the more recent info there are interviews with relevant people which are enlightening and entertaining. And all through each programme, Ferguson underlines an uncomfortable truth: that financial dealings have had major impact on all aspects of global history, from the Dutch East India Company to the Renaissence to the French Revolution -- right up to day. Scary...
So if you'd like to understand more about hedge funds, stocks and shares, limited liability companies, money itself, global banking, reflation and deflation and heaps more -- this is a must-watch.
We've found it to be very enjoyable and extremely informative.
8/10
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
The Ascent Of Money [DVD] [2008]
Lively, enjoyable and informative, 'The Ascent of Money' film series accompanying the book is an eloquent and entertaining look at the social and cultural evolution of the world's financial structures over the centuries. The six distinct chapters highlight the history and key concepts of banking, bonds, stocks, insurance, property and global markets in an entertaining tour for a wide audience.
A big Thank you to Niall Ferguson for presenting this very important subject matter to us in an absorbing, vibrant and fun movie series.
Lively, enjoyable and informative, 'The Ascent of Money' film series accompanying the book is an eloquent and entertaining look at the social and cultural evolution of the world's financial structures over the centuries. The six distinct chapters highlight the history and key concepts of banking, bonds, stocks, insurance, property and global markets in an entertaining tour for a wide audience.
A big Thank you to Niall Ferguson for presenting this very important subject matter to us in an absorbing, vibrant and fun movie series.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed this mini-series which asserts that to understand the state of finances we must look to the past and how financial systems arise. Covering the origins of money, the first banking moguls - the Medici's, and looking at insurance, loans, and the bond market, Ferguson covers it all in a very well presented narrative.
I highly recommend this to anyone in the least bit interested in understanding the fundamentals of how our economy has come to be the way it is, but also the forces that play such a big influence on our lives.
Very good, I'm giving it 10/10!
I highly recommend this to anyone in the least bit interested in understanding the fundamentals of how our economy has come to be the way it is, but also the forces that play such a big influence on our lives.
Very good, I'm giving it 10/10!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Ascent of Money
This wonderful book illustrates perfectly how the global financial system rose to prominence and dominance in the 20th century. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Entropy
Brilliant!
Brilliant way to describe how money works and how all these
came up! Very educational and Introductional to the finance
world of Illuminati!
came up! Very educational and Introductional to the finance
world of Illuminati!
Published 4 months ago by TMV
LEARNING ABOUT MONEY
The content was very good, and so was the presentation of what might otherwise be a boring subject. What is a pound? - have a go at finding out
Published 7 months ago by S. AOLLEY
Ferguson's Finances
Niall Ferguson, a British historian who specialises in financial and economic history, particularly hyperinflation and the bond markets, as well as the history of colonialism, is... Read more
Published 8 months ago by RR Waller
Emotional movie, very poor content
This is one of those documentaries to which the BBC and PBS have accustomed us: a mix of the speaker - the author - walking around the world chatting about his topic with... Read more
Published 9 months ago by a reader
Starts strongly but important omissions when approaching modern times
You can just type in "economics" into amazon's Film & TV search bar and the lack of tangible results tell their own story - quite extraordinary on the surface of things. Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. C. Collier
Pop-Economics moves to DVD
From the publishing stand to the DVD market this is a clean transference of what you could be reading if you enjoy books such as Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lark
"Welcome to the World of Money"
"Welcome to the world of money", is Niall Fergusons's opening invitation to this six-part series, in which he seeks to guide the financially-illiterate (or simply those of us who... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Nicholas Casley
Excellent
I thought this dvd was amazing. I've been studying international business for a while but this is the first time I'm really starting to understand world economics a bit. Read more
Published 15 months ago by J. D. T. Noot
The Ascent of Money
Absolutely brilliant look at the origins, variations and gyrations of money. Well presented with good background material. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Rex Hendry
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