A powerful and controversial explanation of modern economic world history and the fundamental force that lurks behind it all.    “ The Cash Nexus  offers an important corrective to the naïve story of economic growth.” – New York Review of Books According to conventional wisdom, economic change is the prime mover of political change, whether in the age of industry of the Internet. But is it? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson sets out to re-examine the nexus between economics and politics. His central argument is that political violence – in particular, war – has been the driver of financial innovation and economic development.  The Cash Nexus  offers a bold synthesis of political history and economic theory, drawing unsettling conclusions about the future of capitalism and democracy.