In this video from the recent Revolution Festival, Adam Booth - editor of www.socialist.net - provides an overview of the history of money, using a Marxist economic analysis to strip away the veil of mystery that surrounds it.
Money, the Bible says, is the "root of all evil". Under capitalism, it dominates over us, acting - in the words of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - like a "chain of gold".
But money has evolved and changed throughout history: from the early use of precious metals, to the modern day network of cash, credit, and cryptocurrencies. And the more complex the money system becomes, the more removed and mysterious it seems.
In this talk, Adam Booth - author of Understanding Marx's Capital - discusses the development of money over the centuries (and millennia), analysing its role in capitalist society, and explaining how we can break free from its shackles.
