As Jeff Madrick makes clear, the single-minded pursuit of huge personal wealth has been on the rise in the United States since the 1970s, led by a few individuals who argue that self-interest guides society more effectively than community concerns. In telling the stories of these politicians,...

Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: The US financial system from the National Banking Act to the crisis of 2007 -- Chapter 3: The birth of the Federal reserve and its monetary policy -- Chapter 4: Non bank financial intermediaries and the crisis of 1929 -- Chapter 5: The Great Depression --...