Money and Promises

Money and Promises: Seven Deals that Changed the World

By Paolo Zannoni

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Rights Sold: Turkish, US/Canada
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Based on ground-breaking archival research,
Money and Promises examines the creative,
tense relationship between states and banks
that has shaped the world.

In the twelfth-century, Pisa was a thriving metropolis, a powerhouse of global trade, and a city that stood at the centre of Mediaeval Europe. But Pisa had a problem. It was running out of coins. In the face of financial crisis, it was here that the foundations of modern banking were born.

In Money and Promises the distinguished financier, entrepreneur and historian Paolo Zannoni examines the fascinating, complex relationship between states and banks. He draws upon seven case studies: the republic of twelfth-century Pisa, seventeenth century Venice, the infant years of the Bank of England, Imperial Spain, the Kingdom of Naples, the nascent USA during the American Revolution, and Bolshevik Russia in 19171921. Spanning a multitude of countries, political systems, and historical eras, Zannoni shows that at the heart of these institutions is an intricate exchange of debt and promises that allowed the modern world as we know it to take shape.

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Paolo Zannoni is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Prada
and International Advisor to the Executive Office of Goldman Sachs
International. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the
Jackson Institute and the Center for International Finance at
Yale University. With a distinguished and global financial career,
his former positions include Partner of Goldman Sachs, President
of Fiat USSR, and President of Fiat USA.