Debt: the first 5000 Years, by David Graeber , is a book about the history of debt, credit, and money. It gives a detailed account of the origins of money and its development over time. Graeber argues that the development of money is closely linked to the development of debt, and that the two are inseparable. He also argues that the history of debt is a history of violence and exploitation.
Graeber’s book is split into two parts: The Myth of Barter and The Myth of Primitive Communism. In the myth of barter, Graeber argues that the idea that trade started with the exchange of goods and services is a myth. In reality, trade began with the exchange of resources. That is, the exchange of goods and services was a later development. The types of resources that were traded were goods that could be easily transported. For example, goods that could be transported were goods such as grain, pottery, and weapons. The reason why trade developed was because of the necessity of obtaining goods in a place that was far away.
The myth of primitive communism is the idea that humans have always been communal and that the concept of private property is a relatively recent invention. Graeber disagrees with this idea and argues that private property has existed for much longer than has been thought. He also argues that the idea of primitive communism is an invention of the bourgeoisie, who have used it to justify their own exploitation of the working class. Graeber traced back the origins of the idea of private property to the notion of property rights, which was discussed in the book Agricultural Origins of Private Property Rights.
The book discusses how the concept of private property rights developed out of the need to protect crops from being stolen. This led to the development of the idea of property rights, which were originally associated with land. Later, the idea of private property rights was extended to include other types of property, such as houses and businesses. The development of private property rights was a response to the needs of the bourgeoisie, who needed a way to protect their investments from being seized by the state.
The development of private property rights was also a response to the needs of the working class, who needed a way to protect their own property from being seized by the state. The development of private property rights was a way for the working class to assert their own autonomy and independence. Private property rights were a way for the working class to protect their own interests and to prevent the bourgeoisie from exploiting them. The development of private property rights was a major step in the history of the working class. It was a way for the working class to gain a measure of control over their own lives.
The working class had very little property, and what they did have was often confiscated by the state. The development of private property rights was thus a response to the needs of both the bourgeoisie and the working class.
Concerning violence and exploitation, Graeber cites the case of the Cherokee people. The Cherokee were a native American people who were forcibly relocated from their ancestral homeland in the southeastern United States to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in the 1830s. This relocation was carried out by the US government as part of the Indian Removal Act.
In the early 19th century, the Cherokee were forced to give up their land and move to Indian Territory. The Cherokee were forcibly removed from their homes, and their property was confiscated. They were then made to march to Indian Territory, where they were forced to live in inadequate conditions. The Cherokee were forced to give up their land because they were in debt to the US government.
Another example Graeber cites is the case of the Enron Corporation. Enron was an American energy company that went bankrupt in 2001. The company’s collapse was the result of fraud and corruption. Enron’s executives were found to have been using the company’s funds for personal gain. Enron’s employees were also found to have been defrauding the company.
Enron’s collapse led to the loss of jobs and pension funds for its employees. The company’s collapse also had a ripple effect on the economy, as it led to the loss of jobs and investment funds for other companies. Enron’s collapse is an example of how the actions of a few can have a ripple effect on the economy. The Enron scandal also led to the passing of new regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which are designed to prevent fraud and corruption.