The City of London: Illusions of Gold, 1914-45 v. 3 (History of the City) Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

The City of London: Illusions of Gold, 1914-45 v. 3 (History of the City) Book

This is the third instalment of David Kynaston's historical quartet on the financial powerhouse that is the City of London. In Illusions of Gold: 1914-1945, he looks at the period covering the two world wars, the return to the gold standard, the Wall Street Crash and the 1930s' depression. These were momentous years in which the City sought to regain its pre-1914 dominance over international finance but found itself increasingly overwhelmed by the leverage exerted by New York, by politicians anxious for votes, by trade unions and by provincial industrialists. Economic historians have long juggled with statistics and speculated with theories about the inter-war economy but Illusions of Gold brings these rather dry academic debates to life with a colourful blend of anecdote, vignette and character sketch, based on an impressive breadth of research and an unrivalled knowledge of the dramatis personae of the square mile--from eminent bankers such as Lord Revelstoke of Barings to cads and schemers like Clarence Hatry. Inevitably, much of the book focuses on Montagu Norman, the Governor of the Bank of England from 1920 to 1944. Norman, the brunt of most criticism of inter-war economic policy then and since, emerges as a complex and cosmopolitan figure, though one suspects that ultimately the author agrees with J.M. Keynes' view of him: "Always absolutely charming, always absolutely wrong". --Miles TaylorRead More

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  • Amazon

    The third volume of this history tells the story of the City of London in the 20th century and how it survived two world wars.

  • Foyles

    Illusions of Gold, the third volume of David Kynaston's magnificent quartet, The City of London, sweeps us from 1914 to 1945, through years of fluctuating fortunes that began with the City at an all-time high, and ended with the 'Square Mile' ravaged by bombs, at its lowest ebb ever. With unerring judgement and story-telling verve, Kynaston takes us through the City's vain attempt to recover the glory days before the First World War, in the return to the Gold Standard. He follows its tussles with government over control of monetary policy, investigates its increasingly important links with British industry and gives a pioneering account of its controversial role in the politics of appeasement. Kynaston's great strength is his combination of vivid narrative with meticulous scholarship, based on an unparalleled variety of unpublished sources. The City of London is now hailed as one of the most ambitious and rewarding historical projects of recent times.

  • Blackwell

    Illusions of Gold sweeps us from 1914 to 1945, through years of fluctuating fortunes that began with the City at an all-time high, and ended with the 'Square Mile' ravaged by bombs, at its lowest ebb ever.Kynaston takes us through the City's vain...

  • 0712662766
  • 9780712662765
  • David Kynaston
  • 1 June 2000
  • Pimlico
  • Paperback (Book)
  • 581
  • New edition
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