In Money and Promises: Seven Deals That Changed the World, the distinguished banker, executive, and historian Paolo Zannoni examines the complex relationship between states and banks that has changed the world. Drawing on in-depth archival research, he explores seven case studies: the republic of Pisa, seventeenth-century Venice, the early years of the Bank of England, imperial Spain, the Kingdom of Naples, the nascent United States during the American Revolution, and Bolshevik Russia in 1917 through 1923. Zannoni also tells the story of how the Continental Congress established the first public bank in North America, exploring the roles of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. Spanning many countries, political systems, and historical eras, this book shows that at the heart of these institutions is an intricate exchange of debts and promises.

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