EDWARD BAPTIST: While people have traded
for millennia, capitalism has
only existed for the
last few 100 years.
In that short period of time, it has
created an unparalleled revolutionary
in material prosperity.
Creating new opportunities,
but also new risks.
But what is capitalism?
LOUIS HYMAN: Capitalism is a radical
reorganization of investment and work,
the likes of which humans
have never seen before.
EDWARD BAPTIST: And capitalism is also
a story; a global story, a human
story, a historical story.
It is the story of political radicals
and social reformers, of corporate
Titans and desperate slaves,
of prosperous consumers
and struggling workers.
It is the story of men and women
striving to build better lives for
themselves and for others.
Capitalism is our story and
it is still being written.
LOUIS HYMAN: The United States has
a special place in that story.
As the first post-colonial nation, it
has gone from a colonial backwater to
a global hegemony in just
a couple centuries.
The dynamic growth of its capitalist
economy has transformed the continent
and in fact, the whole planet.
In this course, we will examine what
made these developments possible.
Placing US history within
a global context.
We will meet the forgotten, the famous,
and the infamous men and women
whose lives left lasting impacts
that continue to ripple
through our world today.
EDWARD BAPTIST: And we'll discuss the
ways that capitalism shaped the lives
of workers and consumers, and how they
in turn shaped capitalism itself.
As the repeated crises of the last few
years remind us, capitalism continues
on a revolutionary path shaping
both opportunity, and risk.
Join us as we explore the story of the
people, markets, and investments that
have made the world in which we live.
