Read This. It is a Synopsis of an Amazing Book, by the Author!

This is a GREAT book.  But it is overly long.  No surprise, no one buys a 3 page long book.
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But you, dear reader, don't have to!  For in this article in The Daily Beast, the author, Niall Ferguson, has condensed the entire book into 3 simple pages.  Really.
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Oh the book goes into more detail, has more examples, but you get the full gist here.  He talks about how "The West" (by which he means Europe, Australia and North America generally)  became richer, more powerful with a better quality of life than other countries.  And he talks about how to maintain that lead.
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It is a great little synopsis.