History, economics and politics has never been so entertaining. Here in over 150 cartoons, a simple chronology and incisive commentary is the history of the events that have transformed the whole world. Globalisation and the economic changes have remade the world so fast it is hard to get a grip. But in this book they are described and made entertaining in the work of the finest cartoonists from both sides of the Atlantic. From the end of the British empire to the rise of the American one, from the Korean war to Suez, to Vietnam to the Gulf Wars; from oil crisis to growing environmentalism it is all here. This is the easiest, sanest, and most amusing introduction to economic history in the world. It not only makes a sometimes dry subject painless, it makes it positively enjoyable.

A primer to the epic events of the last fifty years, illustrated throughout with the best cartoons of the era from Punch, the New Yorker and the Spectator

A hedgehog in Uncle Sam’s pants, 1951—1972 --
The sheikhs shake things up, 1973—1986 --
Animal spirits rampant, 1987—2002 --
Globalization’s milestones --
Acknowledgements

A concise, pithy primer to the epic events of the last fifty years, illustrated throughout with the best cartoons of the era from Punch and the New Yorker Globalization is the buzzword of the hour - ill-defined but inescapable, it denotes the spread of the Anglo-Saxon capitalist system across the world. Christopher Columbus's crossing of the Atlantic in 1492 paved the way, and Western nations have raced to dominate the world marketplace ever since. This is the easiest, sanest, and most amusing introduction to economic history in the world. It not only makes a sometimes dry subject painless, it makes it positively enjoyable as well. This brilliant selection of 125 cartoons from both sides of the Atlantic deftly and wittily illustrates key themes in the progress of globalization. With an entertaining year-by-year summary of economic and political events over the last 50 years, and a fascinating chronology of globalization's milestones from Columbus onwards, this deceptively lighthearted guide is also a fact-packed work of reference. Buy it, read it, and laugh as you learn.