For almost all of history, people were extremely poor. Beginning in the seventeenth century, European countries (and their overseas extensions) began to grow extremely wealthy. Since World War II, enrichment has spread around the world with the “Asian Tigers” of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan,...

Part I. Poverty is on the run -- Part II. Enrichment didn't come for the reasons you imagine -- Part III. It came because ideas, ethics, rhetoric, and ideology changed -- Part IV. The causes of the causes were not racial or ancient.