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As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West Hardcover – December 5, 2023

by Guido Alfani (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings
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How the rich and the super-rich throughout Western history accumulated their wealth, behaved (or misbehaved) and helped (or didn’t help) their communities in times of crisis

The rich have always fascinated, sometimes in problematic ways. Medieval thinkers feared that the super-rich would act 'as gods among men’; much more recently Thomas Piketty made wealth central to discussions of inequality. In this book, Guido Alfani offers a history of the rich and super-rich in the West, examining who they were, how they accumulated their wealth and what role they played in society. Covering the last thousand years, with frequent incursions into antiquity, and integrating recent research on economic inequality, Alfani finds—despite the different paths to wealth in different eras—fundamental continuities in the behaviour of the rich and public attitudes towards wealth across Western history. His account offers a novel perspective on current debates about wealth and income disparity.

Alfani argues that the position of the rich and super-rich in Western society has always been intrinsically fragile; their very presence has inspired social unease. In the Middle Ages, an excessive accumulation of wealth was considered sinful; the rich were expected not to appear to be wealthy. Eventually, the rich were deemed useful when they used their wealth to help their communities in times of crisis. Yet in the twenty-first century, Alfani points out, the rich and the super-rich—their wealth largely preserved through the Great Recession and COVID-19—have been exceptionally reluctant to contribute to the common good in times of crisis, rejecting even such stopgap measures as temporary tax increases. History suggests that this is a troubling development—for the rich, and for everyone else.

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  1. Print length
    440 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    December 5, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691215731
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691215730
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

How the rich and the super-rich accumulated wealth and behaved

A must read! Thomas Piketty

As God Among Men A History of the Rich in the West

His masterful synthesis reveals the deep roots of current inequalities. Walter Scheidel

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A New Statesman Best Book of the Academic Presses"

"An Australian Most Anticipated Book"

"In his new book, As Gods Among Men, Bocconi University economic historian Guido Alfani outlines how in the past, rich individuals contributed more to the common good in times of war, famine, plague and financial disaster. Today, that sense of shared responsibility is gone."---Rana Foroohar, Financial Times

"In this study of 1,000 years of economic inequality, the historian Guido Alfani looks not just at the means by which wealth was accumulated and kept – both largely unchanged ­– but also at the attitudes of less fortunate members of society towards the rich. Croesus-like riches have been seen as a sin, an obligation and a fact of life." ― New Statesman

"In his fascinating history, As Gods Among Men, Guido Alfani shows how the super-rich have always bailed the rest of us out- until now." ― The Telegraph

"If ever there was a moment to take stock of the relationship between the haves and have-nots, it is surely now, during the gilded age 2.0."---Geordie Williamson, The Australian

"[An] exhaustive history of the super-rich through the ages."---Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement

"Alfani notes a pattern that unfolds 'repeatedly and systematically across history': when economic élites become ingrown, impenetrable, and 'insensitive to the plight of the masses,' societies tend to become unstable."---Evan Osnos, New Yorker

"The rich, like the poor, are always with us. In fact, over many centuries - as this wide-ranging and ambitious book tells us - the richest in society have captured more and more of the overall wealth of Western societies."---Roderick Floud, History Today

"Guido Alfani’s magisterial As Gods Among Men offers a sweeping and welcome historical perspective on who the super-rich really are and how they got that way, blending data, biographical sketches and sociological observations reaching back to the European Middle Ages."---Martin Sandbu, Financial Times

"As Gods Among Men . . . explores phases and strands of Western history that have not been widely or deeply researched, with a view toward finding potential answers to today’s wealth-equity conundrums."---Tyna Thall Orren, Los Angeles Lawyer

"A terrific history about wealth and the Western world’s economic practices." ― Library Journal

Review

‘Guido Alfani has, more than anyone, expanded our knowledge of inequality trends to encompass preindustrial times. In this masterly book, he offers an insightful long-run perspective and fascinating lessons for the future. A must-read!’—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century

‘Surveying the full sweep of Western history, Alfani explores how the rich have gained, used and sometimes lost their wealth, and how their fortunes shaped society. His masterful synthesis reveals the deep roots of current inequalities.’—Walter Scheidel, author of The Great Leveler

‘Here is the broadest history to date of how the very rich are different from us, and how we have reacted to them. Over the centuries, wealth and power shifted between heirs, entrepreneurs and political power brokers. Sometimes we held them in esteem, sometimes in contempt. Sometimes we resented their consumption, sometimes we resented their savings. Guido Alfani interprets it all creatively and plausibly.’—Peter H. Lindert, author of Making Social Spending Work

‘Behind every wealth inequality metric used by economists, there is a story of how that wealth was made. But it is seldom told. In this veritable encyclopedia, Guido Alfani takes us on a journey from ancient Rome to the Medicis to Jeff Bezos to uncover how the rich are different.’—Branko Milanovic, author of the forthcoming Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War

‘Guido Alfani applies his unique eye to the history of the rich, across diverse western societies, over an impressive span of time. The innovative methodological approach is his own, the work is meticulous, and the storytelling is engaging. This volume is an invaluable resource for inequality scholars, not only for economists and historians, but for political scientists and sociologists as well.’—Janet C. Gornick, Director of the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, City University of New York

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press (December 5, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 440 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691215731
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691215730
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 12 ratings

About the author

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Guido Alfani

Guido Alfani

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Guido Alfani is Professor of Economic History at Bocconi University, Milan (Italy). He is also an Affiliated Scholar at the Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality (New York), a Research Associate at the CAGE Research Centre (Warwick) and a Research Fellow of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR, London). An economic and social historian and a historical demographer, he published extensively on Italy and Europe (and beyond), specialising in economic inequality and social mobility, in the history of epidemics and famines, in social alliance systems and social networks.

His most recent book, As Gods among Men. A History of the Rich in the West, has been published in December 2023 by Princeton University Press. The book is an ambitious attempt at providing a general history of the rich and the super-rich, and of how they obtained their wealth, from Antiquity until today. Alfani's previous book, The Lion’s Share. Inequality and the Rise of the Fiscal State in Preindustrial Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2019), co-authored with Matteo Di Tullio, explores how preindustrial fiscal systems favoured a continuous increase in economic inequality, because they were designed by the elites, for the advantage of the elites.

Follow Guido Alfani on Twitter, @guido_alfani

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
12 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Anonymous1
5.0 out of 5 stars Cogent and Filled with data
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
Finally a book that takes a historical and data - driven approach to one of the most important issues of our time. Dense but worth it.
3 people found this helpful
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Alex Bredikin
3.0 out of 5 stars Underwhelming and apologetic
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2024
This book has failed to impress and to brain-stimulate. Instead, it landed with a thump, having ineffectively attempted to justify the necessity and even the ultimate public need for gentrification, inequality, and obscene wealth the modern day nouveau riches are flaunting to shamelessly and blaze, at the expense of the rest of us. What the book did do for me is to reinvigorate my disdained and the opposition for the nowadays liberal elites who speak opposite truths from both sides of their mouths.
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Tom
5.0 out of 5 stars Atrioc approved
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
Atrioc suggested it so its good, glizzy hands or sumfing 🤤
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Instant classic
Reviewed in Italy on January 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Il libro di Alfani è una lettura stimolante e informativa, che offre una visione ampia e approfondita della storia dei ricchi nell’Occidente. L’autore combina fonti storiche, dati statistici e analisi teoriche per tracciare l’evoluzione della ricchezza e dell’ineguaglianza in diverse epoche e contesti. Il libro è scritto in uno stile chiaro e accessibile, con numerosi esempi e aneddoti che rendono la narrazione vivace e coinvolgente. Il libro non si limita a descrivere i fatti, ma li interpreta alla luce di concetti chiave come il potere, la legittimità, la responsabilità e la solidarietà. Il libro non si propone di fornire soluzioni semplici o definitive ai problemi attuali, ma di stimolare la riflessione critica e il confronto sul ruolo dei ricchi nella società.

Il libro di Alfani è una lettura consigliata per chiunque sia interessato alla storia economica e sociale dell’Occidente, e alle questioni di giustizia e di equità che riguardano il nostro presente e il nostro futuro. Il libro è una fonte preziosa di conoscenza e di ispirazione, che ci invita a interrogarci sul significato e sul valore della ricchezza, e sulle sfide e le opportunità che essa comporta. Il libro è un contributo originale e rilevante al dibattito pubblico e accademico sull’ineguaglianza e sul ruolo dei ricchi nella società.
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