An Empire of Wealth

From ancient Rome to modern Britain, empire builders built and maintained their dominion through force of arms and political power over alien peoples. In this illuminating work of history, John Steele Gordon tells the story of how America became the world's first and only global power — thus far — by creating wealth. The American economy is by far the world's largest, but it is also the most dynamic and innovative. The nation used its English political inheritance, as well as its diverse, ambitious population and seemingly bottomless imagination, to create an unrivaled economy capable of developing more wealth for more people. But America has also been extremely lucky. Far from a guaranteed success, our system has outlasted empires past because of its flexibility and because Americans have been willing to change course when things went badly.