The Story of Money Podcast | Financial Times

What Europe's witch trials reveal about the economics of scapegoating | The Story of Money

837 views · 3d ago · 7:15

Guest: Brown University

Why did thousands of people across Europe find themselves accused of witchcraft? And what happens when a society needs someone to blame? Hosts Gillian Tett and Robin Wigglesworth are joined by Brown University economist Emily Oster, whose research explored whether colder temperatures during the Little Ice Age led to economic hardship and an increased number of witch trials.

When poverty and hardship caused thousands of women to be burned | The Story of Money

6.6K views · 5d ago · 38:29

Guest: Brown University

Hundreds of years ago, across Europe - from Germany to Scandinavia, France to Britain — tens of thousands of mostly women were persecuted and executed, accused of being witches. The persecution reached its height in the 16th and 17th centuries. But why? And could economics help explain the hysteria?

The Money Crisis Behind Napoleon’s Rise to Power | The Story of Money

3.8K views · 1w ago · 9:28

The French Revolution promised liberty - but its experiment with paper money ended in economic chaos. As the assignat lost its value, France’s revolutionary government resorted to printing billions in banknotes, triggering extreme inflation and wiping out the savings of ordinary people.

The economic reasons behind the Reign of Terror - French Revolution Pt.2 | The Story of Money

25K views · 1w ago · 46:34

The French Revolution was a bloody fight for liberty, equality and fraternity. But it was also a battle over money. In part two of our series on the French Revolution, host Robin Wigglesworth tackles the transformation of France’s monetary system with Rebecca Spang, historian and author of Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution.

How the meeting of the Estates General sparked the French Revolution | The Story of Money

1.8K views · 2w ago · 7:46

The French Revolution was a bloody fight for liberty, equality and fraternity. But it was also a battle over money. In part 1 of our series on the French Revolution, host Robin Wigglesworth explores the Revolution’s economic origins with Rebecca Spang, historian and author of Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution.

The economic roots of the French Revolution - French Revolution Pt.1 | The Story of Money

79K views · 2w ago · 49:29

The French Revolution was a bloody fight for liberty, equality and fraternity. But it was also a battle over money. In part 1 of our series on the French Revolution, host Robin Wigglesworth explores the revolution’s economic origins with Rebecca Spang, historian and author of Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution.

How the US used propaganda to fund World War One | The Story of Money

1.1K views · 3w ago · 6:27

During the First World War, the US government needed to raise enormous amounts of money - so it turned to Hollywood. Treasury Secretary William McAdoo recruited some of the biggest stars of the era, including Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, to persuade Americans to buy Liberty Bonds.

The US propaganda campaign to raise money for World War One | The Story of Money

30K views · 3w ago · 41:37

The First World War was one of the deadliest conflicts the world has ever seen. And when the US entered the war in 1917, it faced a massive financial challenge: how to pay for its contribution?

The War That Forced Venice to Invent Bonds | The Story of Money

11K views · 1mo ago · 9:58

When the Byzantine emperor ordered the arrest of more than 20,000 Venetians, public fury forced Michiel into a war he didn't want. But Venice needed to raise an enormous amount of money to fight it. The solution? A compulsory loan from wealthy citizens, paying 5% interest - with one crucial innovation: the receipts could be traded.

The birth of the bond market | The Story of Money | The Story of Money

257K views · 1mo ago · 44:29

The US Treasury market - the world's largest government bond market - is worth around $32tn today, making it the largest pile of debt accumulated in history. But its roots lie in medieval Venice, a bloody military disaster and a leader who was forced to raise a loan to fund a war against the Byzantine Empire. What followed was a catastrophe involving pestilence, defeat, and the brutal murder of the Doge himself on the streets of Venice.

The salad oil scam that nearly broke American Express | The Story of Money

2.2K views · 1mo ago · 10:40

Guest: Dan Davies

How do you steal nearly $1 billion by filling oil tanks with water? In the 1960s, Tino De Angelis built a huge trading empire on soybean oil - and convinced banks to lend him vast sums of money against it as collateral. There was just one problem: much of the “oil” was actually water. When the price of soybean futures collapsed, the entire scheme unravelled in one of the biggest commodities scandals of its time.

Why fraud might be good for the economy | The Story of Money

23K views · 1mo ago · 46:51

Guest: Dan Davies

How do you tell if an economy is actually working? Most economics classes point to controlled inflation, steady growth, or low unemployment - but what if the level of financial fraud is the real hidden indicator? Robin Wigglesworth and Gillian Tett talk to Dan Davies, financial historian and author of Lying for Money, to hear about some of the wildest and most shocking frauds in history.